Advertisement

Tips for enjoying champagne

Follow us on Twitter: @y7lifestyle

According to G.H. MUMM (the Official Champagne Sponsor of the Melbourne Cup Carnival), here are the top champagne tips:

1. The best type of champagne cup to use is glass or even better is crystal. The style has emerged as the flute and you should always hold it by the stem so that it doesn’t warm up too fast.

2. The way you wash your glass can impact the champagne's effervescence when serving. It is best not to use detergent as it can prevent the formation of foam. Use hot water and dry with a clean cotton dishcloth.

3. You should always taste your champagne before serving as you would with any wine.

Recipe: The Pom Warrior cocktail

4. When serving champagne you should always start with the ladies (discreetly going in order of age) then move to the senior men and proceed as common sense dictates.

5. A classic mistake is trying to fill the glass in one go. To avoid spillage, it is better to opt to serve in two phases.

6. Planning a party generally you will get 6 glasses to the bottle.

7. There is a classic debate about whether to have your food or champagne first. Everyone will decide for himself or herself but G.H. MUMM recommends serving the champagne first to bring out its full glory.

8. There is an age-old technique of opening your champagne bottle called sabrage. Sabrage is a 200-year-old French tradition, invented by Napoleon's cavalry and means to 'slice' the cork from the bottle with one clean strike of a sabre.

9. A non-vintage Brut is a champagne that complements all flavours, whether savoury or sweet, making every mouthful a delight.

Wine Lovers blog: Hot trends for Spring and Summer

10. A Magnum will pour around fifteen flutes. If you’re expecting a really big crowd? Pop the cork on a Jeroboam (31 glasses, 4 bottles) or even better, why not haul out a Methuselah (61 glasses, 8 bottles)?

11. When considering how to store your champagne, remember that they are wines so they continue to evolve in the bottle until opened. Rather than simply improving, they undergo a series of transformations according to age: the vivacity of youth, graceful maturity and ultimate fullness.

12. The optimum temperature to serve your champagne is 8 degrees Celsius. The range is between 8 and 14.

MUMM's champagne for the Melbourne Cup Carnival
MUMM's champagne for the Melbourne Cup Carnival

For more food news like Y7 Lifestyle on Facebook