10 Champagne Faux-Pas we’ve all made

It doesn’t matter how or where you enjoy wine, just so long as you’re enjoying it. However, as you delve deeper into the world of sparkling wine, you’ll notice there’s a few funny faux-pas we’ve all made along the way!

These are certainly not hard-and-fast rules, simply some tips to improve your sparkling wine experience.

1. Putting a bottle of bubbly in the freezer and coming back to broken glass and wine-flavoured ice.

If you’ve ever left a bottle of sparkling wine in the freezer and forgotten about it, you will know that the bottle can explode. To avoid this, never put a bottle in the freezer! The fridge for a couple hours will do nicely.

2. Opening the bottle and seeing the cork suddenly fly off at 50 miles an hour.

This can be a pretty fun at events or if you want to spray the Champagne over everyone (à la the Grand Prix) but it’s best to avoid hitting your guest in the head or making a hole in the wall thanks to a stray cork! We recommend opening the bottle gently so the cork is released with a hiss, rather than a pop.

 

3. Swirling your glass.

You might see people swirling their glass of red or white wine, but for Champagne and sparkling wine this isn’t necessary – in fact, it can cause more bubbles to escape.

4. ‘Toasty?’ ‘Terroir?’  Using random fancy words.

Throwing in some wine jargon might feel clever, but it could possibly alienate your guests. Instead, why not join a wine tasting event and enjoy learning the delicate subtleties of sparklng wine with other fizz fans. Or, simply crack the Champagne jargon here.

5. Quickly filling the glass so it’s all full of foam like in the movies.

All the foam looks quite dramatic, but to get the best out of your fizz pour it gently at an angle and pause a couple times so it doesn’t foam too much.

6. Drinking out the bottle and spilling it everywhere.

Alright, this might happen after a few glasses have already been drunk.

7. Holding the glass by the bowl.

This one is something most people won’t notice or bother about unless you’re at a wine event, but it’s advised to avoid holding the glass by the bowl because it warms up the contents. Try holding the glass by the stem instead.

8. Calling all sparkling wine ‘Champagne’.

Only sparkling wine made in the region of Champagne in France is legally allowed to have the name Champagne. Other sparkling wines have their own names (such as Prosecco, Cava, Lambrusco etc) even if they’re made the same way.

Find out more here: Champagne, Cava, Prosecco… What’s the Difference?

9. Snobbery (or fear of it).

Having an interest in wine can sometimes be overshadowed by the fear of being seen as a wine ‘snob’, but this is far from the truth. Sparkling wine enthusiasts come from all walks of life – most of us are regular people who just genuinely love to share a good glass of bubbly and spread the word to as many people as possible. Don’t feel intimidated by the image that can surround the world of wine.

10. Sticking to the same thing every time.

Always buying that same bottle of Champagne from the shop? If you’re happy with it that’s great, but as a bubbly-lover there’s so much choice now you’d be crazy not to try a few others! You could try sparkling wine from another country, a different style, or just something more (or less?) premium.

…In the end, as long as you’re enjoying yourself, drink however you like!