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20.
How to serve Champagne
A - Holding the bottle and using the serviette
The glasses are filled, but again this should be done with style. Just like opening the bottle, serving Champagne has its own ritual. The bottle of Champagne should be held with the whole hand, as with other wines. It should never be taken by the neck, which is both awkward and unaesthetic. Magnums and other large bottles are too wide to be held around the body and therefore they are served by holding them with one hand at the bottom, the thumb in the punt, the other fingers spread out under the base of the bottle and the other hand supporting the bottleneck. This process is indeed sometimes used in the Champagne region for serving a normal sized bottle. There actually exist special handles for magnums. These are generally made from a silver-coloured metal with two circles surrounding the bottle tightly by its base and its body, joined by a rod, which is held for serving. The very big bottles are served by placing the lower part in the elbow fold of the right arm, the left hand holding the bottleneck, or vice versa |
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Serving Champagne wines
Vidéo 1'45 min
B - Filling the glasses
Champagne should be served close to the glass both to encourage the formation of a ring of bubbles and to avoid an excess of foam. If several glasses are to be served, it is convenient to fill them simultaneously, pouring a little Champagne into each glass, one after the other, on two or three occasions, so that the sparkle will have stopped before the next round of pouring.
It is highly recommended to only half fill the glasses (or at most, two thirds) and to maintain them at the chosen level by topping them up frequently. This should be done to ensure that the joyful spectacle of the rising bubbles is continuous. Although an empty glass is a sad sight, a full glass lacks elegance: "in medio stat virtus". In a very full glass, the wine is too close to the ambient air to be able to enjoy the bouquet. On the other hand, it is even more concentrated in a half-full glass. In fact, if poured in an exaggerated manner, the Champagne has every chance of overflowing and then re-heating. The appreciative connoisseur does not drink it in one go, but each sip being a delight.
If you wish to enjoy several Champagnes during a meal, do not forget to change the glasses. In addition, great care should be taken to choose the ideal moment for serving each one. In particular, if there is to be a sweet Champagne at the end of the meal, it should only be poured once the dessert is served, in order to avoid too great a contrast with the preceding "brut".
The serving time limits should also be taken into account, so that each Champagne is available at the right time and at the right temperature. There are similar problems for crowded receptions. The answer is difficult to find. The best alternative is to serve the Champagne discretely (whenever possible) during the speeches. Serve it very cold, but not too soon, so that it does not have the opportunity to reheat excessively. Yet in time so that each glass is full for the toast, but at the very least the speaker's glass.
C - Recorking an unfinished bottle
Sometimes, the bottle is not emptied and it must be kept for finishing on another occasion. If it is immediately recorked with a special metallic cork, it will retain its gas and can be enjoyed again within a time limit of a few days. This cork is equipped with a rubber ring, which is placed on the bottleneck and stays compressed with two hooks positioned underneath the ring. This is known as a bottle stopper. Other methods may be used, but as regards the little spoon placed in the bottleneck (supposed to avoid the loss of gas), this is just an old wives tale with neither scientific basis nor any practical result.
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