Can a special stopper help an open bottle of Champagne keep its bubbles?
Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, but you can call me Vinny. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the fine points of etiquette to the science of winemaking. And don't worry, I'm no wine snob—you can also ask me those "dumb questions" you're too embarrased to ask your wine geek friends! I hope you find my answers educational, empowering and even amusing. And don't forget to check out my most asked questions and my full archives for all my Q&A classics.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
Are there different strategies for preserving open bottles of still and sparkling wine?
—Amos, Augusta, Maine
Dear Amos,
With any type of wine, once a bottle is open, oxygen exposure is the main concern. Initially, the oxygen will help make a wine more expressive—which is why wines tend to show better with some swirling. But after a while, continued exposure to oxygen will change a wine’s profile. It won’t make a wine go bad, but just like how sliced apples start to turn brown and take on nutty notes, a wine’s fresh flavors will start to fade and taste oxidized.
With sparkling wine, you have the added pressure of, well, losing pressure. That is, once a bottle of bubbly is opened, the carbon dioxide (the dissolved gas that creates all those lovely bubbles) will start to escape. Not only do you have to protect a bottle of bubbly from oxidation—you’ll also want to preserve as many bubbles as possible. That calls for some special equipment.
I’m partial to the hinged stoppers designed specifically for bottles of sparkling wine (they’re relatively inexpensive and available online). If you put a cork back in an open bottle of bubbly, the pressure from the carbonation might cause it to pop out, so a special stopper that won’t escape unexpectedly is helpful. Keep in mind that whether a bottle is stoppered or not, it’ll probably lose its fizz a day or two after being opened.
After the stopper, the best thing you can do is keep the bottle nice and cold in your refrigerator. Carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold liquids, so keeping your leftover bubbles chilled will help keep the wine fresher and more effervescent for whenever you’re ready to finish the bottle.
If you’re getting ready to pop a bottle, don’t forget to check out my most popular sparkling wine questions. Cheers!
—Dr. Vinny
