No one wants to pour perfectly good champagne down the drain because it went flat, but it does happen. Maybe one day you opened up a bottle but had to cut the date short, or maybe you and a guest didn’t want to drink much that day.
There are a million and one reasons why a bottle would be left unfinished. This guide is here to help you save your leftover champagne.
Spoon dangling
One thing you can do to keep those beautiful bubbles is leaving a spoon dangling in the mouth of your bottle. This is one of those life hacks you’ve probably heard from time to time but didn’t believe.
No one blames you for dismissing it because it does sound unbelievable, but what it does is keep the neck of your bottle colder than the rest of the bottle. In essence, this creates a chilled air plug that should reduce the amount of gasses that escape your bottle while it is in the fridge. Of course, you are going to have to keep the bottle in the fridge and keep in mind that this is not meant to last forever.
Make it cold
Icy temperatures are what you want right now to help keep those precious gasses inside your champagne. Ideally, you’ll have one of those fancy ice buckets where you can keep your leftover champagne, but that is not always possible.
You can just make a DIY ice bucket using a large container filled with ice where you can place your champagne. If not, you can do what was mentioned earlier, and just place your bottle inside your fridge. If you do end up losing the carbonation, then your champagne is going to taste sweeter, and that is a good thing for some people.
Corking it
Consider investing in a good, high-quality airtight cork. These are reusable and can be found in wine shops or online. Yes, you are probably going to find a number of them in your local grocery store, but make sure you opt for the highest quality cork possible if you want to keep the bubbles in.
Some people make the mistake of using the old cork to close the bottle, but this will no longer work with all those gasses fighting to get out. Your cork will pop out when you least expect it, which can put you, others, or your stuff in danger. A good, secured, and airtight cork should do the trick every time you have to use it. If you know you might open more than one bottle at a time, then just buy an extra one just in case.
Quality matters
Champagne bottles come at various prices and because of that, some folks choose the cheapest bottles out there. If the taste is negligible, then kudos to you because you get to enjoy champagne that isn’t too expensive, but if you know you want your champagne to last, then you’ll have to buy one that is a little more expensive.
The reason you are doing this is because champagne bubbles don’t really form unless there are enough microscopic specks in the champagne to allow the gas molecules to make a bubble. Champagne that is high quality is going to have fewer impurities, and that means it’ll keep the carbonation more effectively than a bottle that didn’t cost as much.
Hopefully, these tips and tricks help keep your champagne as delicious as it tasted when you first opened it up. You can also talk to your wine and champagne provider to help you with a few additional tips or tricks.
