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18.
Chilling the bottle
A - The ideal temperature
Before opening a bottle of Champagne, it must be chilled but never ‘iced’. It is generally considered that Champagne should be served between 6 and 9°C. However, as it gets reheated in the glass, it is still enjoyed in good condition between 8 and 13°C. If you wish to enhance their bouquet, full-bodied, rosés, vintage or old Champagnes (with a developed acidity) can be served between 10° and 12°C but you would then lose a great deal of their Champagne character.
Certain people, on the other hand, have the belief that sec and demi-sec Champagnes should be served between 4 and 6°C. It is a fact that the sweet flavour slightly disappears at low temperatures. However, if you have chosen a Champagne with a high dosage, it is because you feel it is appropriate for that specific occasion. We must be rational and allow a Champagne fulfil its role in different circumstances, which could mean serving it at the temperature of a brut rather than hindering it by chilling it in an exaggerated manner. This was often done in the 19th Century when it was regarded as the norm because Champagne was extremely sweet.
B - Chilling processes
The best method to chill a bottle of Champagne is, without doubt, using a chilling ice bucket. This is universally known as a Champagne ice bucket, even if it is used for other wines. It should be filled to within 7 cm of the top. In a room at 20°C, with water at the same temperature, the bottle will reach 7° after 40 minutes if it came out of a wine cellar at 11°C and after about two hours if it was at room temperature. It must be noted that certain special bottles need a slightly longer chilling period. The Champagne ice bucket has the advantage of gradually chilling the bottle and then keeping it at the same temperature, provided that you replace the ice-cubes when they have melted. They should last for a long time. In a room at 20°C, with a bottle at the same temperature immersed in an ice bucket filled 50% with ice, the ice will only melt after 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours and the water will still be 4°C. |
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It is not necessary to use a serviette to pour Champagne if the bottle is wiped when removed from the ice bucket. While some consider this to be part of the Champagne tradition, in reality it is not. In any case, the serviette must never hide the label, as this is the trademark of the producer and must therefore be totally visible, for both his honour as well as the pride of the consumer. This is the same for the other decorative elements of the bottle, which, aside from their charm, also serve as valuable identifiers. If you feel that it is necessary to use the serviette, it is vital that it does not cover the label. The best way to achieve this is to hold it folded underneath the body of the bottle, with the brand clearly visible on the opposite side.
Note: Putting a bottle of Champagne in an ice bucket decorated with the name of a rival brand is rightly regarded as terribly tactless and should most definitely be avoided.
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The bottle of Champagne should be placed in the part of the fridge where the measure of coldness corresponds to that desired in your drink. The bottle should preferably be laid down flat, in order to avoid temperature differences between the upper and lower parts of the bottle. This chilling method has the disadvantage of being slower than using an ice bucket. For a bottle of Champagne from the wine cellar at 11°C, you must leave at least two-and-a-half hours in a fridge to reach a suitable temperature and three hours if it started out at room temperature (20°C). It will then remain consistent at this temperature until it is placed on the table, from when it will start to reheat. This would not happen if it were held in an ice bucket.
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To overcome this inconvenience, the bottle could be placed in an insulating container, known as a "thermo-Champagne" or a "glacette", which can be both practical and attractive. The portable cool box or insulating bag carries out the same role as at a picnic. There are also other containers that have two walls, the exterior of which is an insulator and this can act to cool down the bottle because of the removable cold accumulators placed between the walls.
It is convenient to always have a bottle of Champagne on hand in the fridge. It can be left there for several weeks, even several months, on the basis that the fridge door is not opened and closed too regularly. Every time this produces temperature changes, which in the long term can be harmful for the Champagne. The problem is the same for cold stores in restaurants. The fridge-bar in a hotel room and the storeroom of a flat play the same role as a fridge, without the afore-mentioned risks.
It should be noted that ice is not essential except for ardent supporters of the cold. If you are lucky enough to have a real cellar at 10 or 11°C, you can take the bottle out of the cellar just before you uncork it. This is what the people from Champagne would usually do.
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