The Way To Pop Open Up A Bottle Of The Bubbly Stuff

I’m not sure if I should be giving advice on how to open up a bottle of bubbly since my wife usually does it.  She fears that I may hurt myself or someone around me.

Opening up a bottle of bubbly always feels special to me.  Maybe it’s because we don’t do it very often or maybe I just enjoy the unique “pop” or “puff” sound that it makes when you open a bottle.  Whatever it is, it’s a beverage that calls for attention at that moment in time.  However, it also calls for your attention to be safe while opening it.  Friedrich Balck of Clausethal Technical University in northwest Germany found that a vigorously shaken bottle of Champagne, with a pressure of 35 psi (2.5 bars), expelled its cork at 24.8 miles per hour (40 kilometres per hour).  Not that you plan on doing this in your dining room, but you get the idea that a champagne cork can pop out with great speed!  With the steps below, you can open the bubbly stuff with confidence and put away your safety goggles.

Step 1 – Chill it.  Get the bottle ice cold.  The colder the bottle is, the less pressure it will have when opening.

Step 2- Protect and check yourself.  You never know when a cork going to cut loose.  Always point the bottle in a safe direction and keep your thumb over the cork.

Step 3- Peel the foil and unwrap the wire cage covering the cork.  Always be aware that the cork may fly-have your thumb ready just in case.

Step 4- Take a towel or cloth napkin and slip it over the neck of the bottle.  The towel will help you grip the cork and catch it in the event it that it decides to blow.

Step 5 – Hold the bottle at a slight angle, grip the cork firmly with the cloth towel or napkin. Then, with your other hand, turn the base of the bottle slowly in one direction.  Turning the bottle is safer and more effective than trying to yank the cork out.