Serving champagne

The right glass for serving champagne

Coupe (Tazza)

Kein anderes Glas dürfte mehr romantische Mythen verzeichnen können als das berühmte ‚Coupe‘. Nach Jahrhunderten der Tradition sind Champagne und Coupe-Gläser quasi unzertrennlich miteinander verbunden. Herrliche Anekdoten rund um das legendäre Coupe täuschen jedoch nicht darüber hinweg, dass es von Form und Funktion her völlig ungeeignet für Champagner ist. Schon durch das Halten des breiten Glases in der Handfläche erwärmt sich der Champagner unvorteilhaft schnell. Obendrein ist die Schale breit, so dass der Nase kostbare Bukettstoffe unweigerlich verloren gehen. Zudem wird die Optik des Perlenspiels beeinträchtigt. Falls Sie jedoch eine klassische Champagner-Pyramide basteln möchten, dann eignet sich das Coupe-Glas vortrefflich um den Champagner servieren.

Flute (flûte, champagne flute)

The elegant flute is characterised by its tall, slender shape, whereby the colour, bouquet and bubbles of the champagne are impressively accentuated.

Tulip

The tulip glass offers both an elegant and functional shape that is considered far superior to the flute by connoisseurs:

• With a tulip glass without cuts or decorations, nothing stands in the way of optimal viewing of the pearls
• The design of the tulip is harmoniously balanced in its dimensions (in contrast to the conical shape of a champagne flute)
  The diameter of the rim of the glass is designed so that both the eye and the nose can enjoy it independently of each other (unlike a coupe)
• A slight curvature inwards collects the rising, fine bouquet substances at the upper edge of the glass

A beautiful example of an ideal tulip glass from the Spiegelau 'Grand Palais' series (mouth-blown).

The optimal Glasses for champagne (and other sparkling wines) are therefore either flute glasses or tulip glasses. You can view a nice selection of matching glasses in the shopping area.

Further tips

1. Soap residue in a glass relaxes the champagne and also gives it an unpleasant aftertaste. (Therefore: be sure to rinse the glasses thoroughly with clear hot water!) The cloth used for drying should also be free of any residue (such as soap or even grease).
2. Never serve chilled glasses with champagne! Mortal sin!
3. Cruel instruments such as 'champagne whisks' or 'champagne whisks' are completely out of place. With their unpleasant, clinking sound, these little things destroy in seconds what has been created over years: the precious pearls!
4. If you need to move a guest's champagne glass, the glass should not be pushed, but lifted by the stem and placed where desired. This is safer and also avoids fingerprints on the goblet area of the glass.
5. A host must be prepared! Glasses tip over at the table when serving champagne or fall to the floor (never try to catch them!).
   Should a (foreseeable) minor accident of this kind occur, the situation must be rectified immediately, in a friendly and professional manner, and the glass replaced and refilled immediately. Gloves to protect against broken glass, sponge, cloth, broom... should be ready before the guests arrive!

Ebenso wichtig wie das Glas ist die Temperatur beim Champagner Servieren. Die ideale Temperatur beträgt 8°C, Jahrgangs-Champagner kann mit bis zu 11 °C serviert werden. Ist der Sparkling wine wärmer, sprudelt beim Öffnen der Flasche der Schaum explosionsartig heraus und landet statt in den Gläsern auf Kleidern und Möbeln. Auch sollte das Korkenknallen oder gar das Herausspringen des Korkens ausschließlich den Auto- und Radrennfahrern überlassen werden; in ein Esszimmer oder in einen Salon gehört diese Unsitte nicht.

Champagne should also not be 'swimming' in a bucket of ice for hours before guests arrive, as it could suffer a nasty 'temperature shock'. After some pre-chilling in your fridge, about 20 to 30 minutes in the ice water (50/50 mix) of the champagne bucket will provide the ideal temperature.

Coupe (Tazza)
Ideal for some champagne drinks, shrimp cocktails and ice cream, but not for champagne.

Flute
Elegant and functional!

Crystal
Natural small imperfections (moussier points) often promote beading in crystal glass. An elegant solution for champagne (among other things).

Tulips
Tulip glasses offer many advantages for both champagne and connoisseurs!

Elegant flute with a high (and hollow) pillar. Although it also makes for attractive pearl playing, it is very fragile and difficult to clean!
Chic blue tulip glass. The colour of the champagne, as well as its bubbles, are visually reduced considerably.

Test run when serving champagne with water

It never hurts to be somewhat familiar with your own champagne glasses or to know the capacity in practice. Massive standard champagne bottles visually deceive novices into thinking they have a little more volume, especially as they weigh considerably more than conventional wine bottles, are often a little higher and are sometimes particularly opaque. Of course, they do not contain any more wine than a slim 750ml Bordeaux bottle, for example.

A small test run:
Eine leere Champagnerflasche (oder auch notfalls jegliche 750ml ‚Normalflasche‘) einfach mit Wasser füllen und z.B. sechs Champagne glasses in zwei bis 3 Etappen gleichmäßig und in Reihenfolge füllen. Beim ersten Versuch merkt man schnell, daß es einfacher aussieht als es tatsächlich ist.

With this glass size, the champagne bottle is already empty. With beautiful tulip glasses, you can therefore estimate over the thumb at
For a standard bottle (750 ml), expect six glasses, for a magnum bottle (1.5 litres) 12 glasses and for a jeroboam bottle (3 litres) 24 glasses (see also Bottles).

The glass on the right is from the example above. On the left are two slightly smaller champagne glasses with the same contents as the glass on the right. With an apparently only slightly smaller difference in size, you could now properly fill nine glasses (instead of six) with the same bottle of champagne.

Serving champagne and opening it correctly

The professional opening of a champagne is like a ceremony. Under your supervision, this is the crowning moment of this noble drink.

Watch out! Champagne is under considerable pressure. A flying cork can cause shards or even cost a guest an eye!

1. Of course, first take the champagne out of the bucket and carefully dry the bottle with a napkin.
2. Then it is presented to the guest. Please ensure that the label is not covered by the napkin.
3. Then hold the bottle at an angle with your left hand (approx. 45 degrees) and carefully untwist the loop of the wire basket with your right hand. Do not damage the tin foil cap unnecessarily. Make absolutely sure that the cork is pointing away from your own head during this procedure.
4. Carefully expand the wire basket and remove it together with the tin foil cap. It is possible that the cork is already floating. In this case, gently and carefully remove the cork together with the wire basket and the tin foil cap.
5. Grip the cork firmly with your left hand, turn the bottle with your right hand at the same time and remove the cork (thumb on the cork!). Only a gentle sighing of the champagne should be audible (instead of a loud 'pop').
   What the ear gains, the palate later loses! A 'pop' is the sign of a silent beginner and does not correspond to the high standard of a fine champagne. At best, cork tongs are only intended for those very rare emergencies where the cork is unusually tight. If the cork head breaks unexpectedly (also very rare), then cut it off with a knife at the mouth of the bottle and carefully pull the rest of the cork out of the neck with a corkscrew.
6. Pass the cork imperceptibly and discreetly past your (own) nose to briefly ensure that no foul odour is clinging to it. It is also advisable to take a quick look at the mouth of the bottle to see if there is any residue on it (if there is, use the underside of the cork or the napkin to remove it). Then place the cork close to the guest of honour. This gesture is ancient. The host (or hostess) is simply offering the guest of honour the opportunity to make sure that the markings on the cork correspond to the wine served. This may seem nonsensical for a champagne that has just been opened in front of the guest of honour, but it is part of the process, especially as the shape of a champagne cork at the bottom, for example, reveals whether this champagne has been stored for a long time or is rather 'younger' (see also cork). The guest of honour does not 'sniff' the cork. When pouring, the neck of the bottle must not touch the glass.
7. The ritual of serving champagne always begins with the guest of honour (if present). Pour some champagne for the guest of honour to taste (only enough for one or at most two sips) and step back. The guest of honour checks the colour and aroma of the wine in his/her glass, followed by a taste test. The host waits attentively for his/her approval (perhaps verbally or perhaps just by nodding discreetly).
8. Then fill the glasses slowly in stages (i.e. two or three times) (There are different systems of serving order in the world (see examples below).
9. Depending on the room temperature, champagne can foam differently. Ultimately, the glasses should not be more than 2/3 full. It is better to have less than too much champagne in the glass so that there is enough space for the bouquet to develop.
10. After pouring, carefully place the bottle back in the bucket.
    See also: Don't be afraid of big bottles!
11. ...and the cork?

The cork as a lucky charm when serving champagne

You can introduce your guests to an old tradition by carefully making an incision in the underside of the cork, inserting a coin of your choice and presenting this combination to someone. As long as the coin and the cork remain together, legend has it that the recipient will be lucky.

It is said that when the champagne cork is presented to a lady, she only has to spend three nights with the cork under her pillow before she will dream of the man she will eventually marry!

And the Champagne capsule?

Auf dem Korken jedes Champagners befindet sich eine kleine Metall-Kapsel. Werfen Sie diese bitte nicht weg. Früher oder später wird Ihnen ein Champagner-Liebhaber begegnen, welcher diese Kapseln sammelt und sich sicherlich sehr über Ihr Geschenk dieser Kapseln freuen dürfte (siehe auch Kapsel).

Systems: The order of serving champagne

There are several serving systems in the world, but they all have one basic purpose: to ensure that everything runs smoothly and quickly.

Many hosts simply follow the clockwise direction from the guest of honour when serving. Here is an example of a very simple system:
If there are only a few guests, the ladies can be served first (after the guest of honour has rehearsed, of course) in a clockwise direction, then the gentlemen and finally the guest of honour (even if a lady is the guest of honour). There is also an old version where the oldest lady in the circle is served champagne first.

Sometimes, however, you may encounter other systems. For example, there is also an ancient system whereby the ladies' glasses are filled first in an anti-clockwise direction from the guest of honour, then (i.e. on the 'way back', so to speak) the men's glasses are served clockwise by the host. Finally, the guest of honour's glass is filled.

When refilling the glasses when serving champagne, the usual clockwise order applies without any particular sequence. Champagne should not be topped up continuously, but only when one or two sips remain in the glass. This ensures that the champagne is optimised in terms of temperature and can unfold again (instead of being influenced by the already warmed champagne). Champagne should be poured from the right side.

Terracotta instead of a classic tub?

It can happen that the host presents his guests with the finest champagne in plain terracotta instead of an often elegant bucket. This is by no means a faux pas! On the contrary: it shows that the host recognises the unbeatable properties of terracotta, which the Romans already appreciated.

If a champagne is chilled too quickly or too much, it suffers a shock that can have unpleasant consequences for its flavour. Incidentally, this shock can also occur in a bucket of crushed ice if it 'floats' in this ice bath for too long. Terracotta, on the other hand, cools gently due to its natural evaporation effect. These containers are first filled with ice-cold water. Then leave them filled for about 10 minutes. This time is needed so that the water can soak into the fired earth a little). The container is then emptied and is ready to 'embrace' the champagne and keep it cool in a gentle way. Serve the champagne!