How To Store Champagne After Opening

Getting ready for the weekend? Why not celebrate it with a bottle of champagne? While a bottle of champagne is quickly downed by larger groups of people, it can be challenging to finish an entire bottle of bubbly by yourself. When faced with a half-filled leftover bottle of champagne, it is tricky to know the best way to store it properly. Hence, here is the proper way to store champagne after opening:

As a general rule, leaving a spoon dangling in the champagne bottle and putting it in the fridge is the most common trick in keeping it for a longer time. The metal of the spoon will keep the neck of the bottle cold, creating a plug above the warmer champagne. It prevents the gasses in the bottle from rising and keeps the bubbles in.

Aside from this technique, there are other ways for storing champagne that’ve been floating around the internet for years and require only something you have on hand. So, let’s check them all.

5 Ways To Save Leftover Champagne

Use plastic wrap and a rubber band

Using a good plastic wrap can help keep the Champagne bubbly overnight in the fridge. While this method does not always work, it is worth trying. At the very least, it helps prevent random food or contaminants from dropping into the bottle.

Use a hermetic cork

Hermetic cork is also known as an airtight cork. You can buy this cork at any grocery store; however, keep in mind that it is essential to invest in this kind of cork. Recorking your champagne with the cork it came out with can lead to the build-up of gasses in the bottle. The cork could pop out in the fridge.

Keep it cold

When I say keep it cold, I mean literally keep it cold.

If you want leftover Champagne to remain bubbly just like the first time you bought it, it is crucial to keep it icy all night. If you don’t have an ice bucket, just simply fill your kitchen sink with ice cream and put the champagne bottle in it along with any other drinks you would like to keep cold.

If you keep the champagne cold, you are reducing the amount of gas that is released. On the other side, the more carbonation is lost, the sweeter the champagne it gets. If you don’t want the taste of the champagne fresh from the bottle, you might like its flat-bland taste.

Dangle a spoon in the champagne bottle

While others claim that putting a spoon in the champagne bottle does not do anything, you are wrong.

Many champagne enthusiasts say that it is a life-changing hack. To make sure that the champagne is still bubbly the next day, simply leave the spoon dangling in the mouth of the champagne bottle and put it in the fridge.

The metal of the spoon makes the neck of the bottle colder. This creates a cold air plug above the warmer champagne, preventing the gasses in the bottle from rising quickly and keeping the bubbles in.

Invest in good-quality champagne

open champagne

For your final option, I know you don’t want to hear about this, but paying a few bucks for good-quality champagne is worth it. The science behind this is that the gas molecules need to attach a microscopic speck of material to form a bubble and escape the bottle.

High-quality champagne has fewer specks than other cheaper variants; therefore, expect that its bubbles are less likely to escape the bottle.

How Long Does Champagne Last?

Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or just enjoying the taste of champagne, there is nothing as elegant as drinking a chilled glass of bubbly. This food-friendly wine is a perfect pair to several dishes, but if you don’t have plans to finish the entire bottle, there are few things you need to know.

Once you open the bottle flawlessly, the champagne has a shelf-life of about 3 to 5 days. After this point, it will go a tad flat, and its lovely flavors will go evaporate.

Sparkling wines like Moscato don’t last as long as traditional sparkling wines like champagne, cava, and others. For Moscato, aim to drink it as soon as possible, definitely no more than 3 days after popping the cork.

Are you curious about how long a bottle of unopened champagne lasts?

If you store the unopened bottle of champagne properly, expect it to keep anywhere from 3 to 7 years, depending on the style. Vintage champagne tends to have longer-lived than non-vintage counterparts. Some exceptional bottles of champagne can continue to improve for over a decade; though some may lose a little of their sparkle.

REMEMBER:

Do not store your champagne in the fridge. Let it live in a cool, dark place until you are ready to drink it. When it is the right time to drink, stow the bottle in the fridge for about 30 to 45 minutes or put it in the ice bucket with a 50/50 mix of ice and cold water.

How To Keep The Fizz In Champagne?

The trick in keeping opened champagne fresh is to pop a champagne stopper in it.

Champagne stoppers are made airtight to prevent the gas from escaping the wine. If you think you won’t be able to finish the bottle or just want to keep it fresh while refilling in between glasses, clamp that stopper onto the bottle once you are done pouring.

On the other hand, if you don’t have the champagne stopper on hand, it is better to stuff a regular wine cork into the champagne bottle to keep the fizz in and the oxygen out. You may also wrap the top of the bottle with a bit of cling wrap and secure it with a rubber band.

This last option is essential.

No matter what you do, just stick your bubbly back in the fridge (not in the freezer), to help it keep fresh. The colder the champagne, the slower it releases carbon dioxide, keeping the bubbles in your wine.

Does Champagne Ever Go Bad?

Of course, Champagne does spoil. But how will you know if the champagne goes bad? It will be flat and the fine fruit aromas will fade away, replacing it with the smell of vinegar. It will taste sour and altogether unpleasant. The only thing you can do with bad champagne is to discard it.

Here are the telltale signs of bad champagne:

The color of the champagne can be light gold or pale yellow. A bottle of good champagne has a smell of fresh fruit and subtle minerality. Good champagne will taste like bread with crisp apple and melon flavor, then gets fruitier depending on the amount of sugar present. Moreover:

  • Overdue champagne is flat and opened champagne is notorious for losing its fizz and bubbles fast. Exposure to heat, air, and sunlight promotes the oxidation of champagnes.
  • If the champagne changes color and turns deep yellow or gold, the chances that your bubbly is already bad is high.
  • Improperly stored champagne gets contaminated and clumps may start to form in the liquid, making it spoiled.
  • Spoiled champagne will taste and smell sour

The best way to avoid wasting champagne is simple. Just save it for those moments when you can finish it in one drinking or you have some friends to drink it with. If you like just a glass or two during the week, switch to half bottles and invest in a champagne stopper.

Proper Storage Of Champagne

It is essential to know how you can store champagne properly to maximize its shelf life and prevent it from going bad. Here are some tips on champagne storage:

If you are planning to store champagne for a later date

  • Store the champagne in a cool dark place, preferably in the pantry or cellar
  • Champagne should be kept at a constant temperature of 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit away from direct sun exposure.
  • Lay the bottle of champagne on its side to make sure that the cork will always be moist. A dry cork will develop little holes over time, which can let the air in the bottle.

For short-term storage

  • If you are going to enjoy your drink within three to four days, store the champagne in the fridge. The bubbles will change due to lack of humidity if kept in the refrigerator for long-term storage.
  • After opening the bottle, seal the bottle with plastic wrap or a champagne bottle stopper, and store it in the fridge. The pressure from carbonation that forms inside the bottle might result in the original cork popping out.

Champagne is a perfect drink for any celebration. Keeping a bottle or two for special occasions is an excellent idea. Some people use champagne in cooking. You can use the fizz and sparkle of champagne to create fancy meals.

In addition, here are some factors you need to consider when storing wine at home:

  • Temperature

The general rule of thumb is to keep the wine in a spot where the temperature is between 45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Light

Keep the wine away from direct sunlight since the UV rays can also age your vine. This is the reason why they are stored in colored bottles.

  • Humidity

To avoid the corks from drying out, the ideal humidity range for storing wines must be around 50 to 80 percent. Unless your area is extremely cold or hot, most places are safe for wine to keep. Also, most bottles are sealed enough so that you don’t have to worry about damage from mold in dark, damp areas.

  • Storage Position

Do you know the reason why bottles are stored on their sides? Horizontal storage helps in keeping the wine against the cork, preventing the stoppers from drying out. Most wines are fine in an upright position, especially if they are meant to be opened within a few years or come with glass or plastic toppers.

Meanwhile, here are the best champagne racks that you may consider to keep your bubbly in excellent condition.

Two Best Champagne Racks For A Good Storage

mDesign Plastic Free-Standing Wine Rack Storage Organizer

It is okay to store your wine in a regular refrigerator for a couple of days. Of course, you would expect that fridges can be messy; therefore, you need to pick up an easy-to-clean wine rack like from mDesign. It is made from clear plastic that can hold two bottles horizontally and is stackable for those who have the room.

This wine rack measures 4 inches tall and 8 inches wide that can fit almost every type of fridge. It features BPA-free, shatter-resistant plastic, meaning it can withstand up to the busiest of households.

When not in use, the rack can be used to hold water bottles or sodas. mDesigns also offers the rack in a three-bottle option.


J.K. Adams Ash Wood 40-Bottle Wine Rack

J.K. Adams offers these racks in two different options. You can choose between oak and ash, which are all backed up with a lifetime warranty. Since this kind of wine rack has a modular style, it allows you to expand your wine rack as your collection grows.

This wine rack is made from sustainably harvested hardwood grown in Vermont. It can hold a total of 40 bottles, depending on the size of the bottles. It has a flexible grid, wherein you can assemble to fit your cupboard, cabinet, and cellar perfectly. It is also expandable to fit other stuff.


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