Champagne is associated with celebrations, joy and happiness. Guests feel honoured when the host serves champagne. Opening a bottle of champagne calls from some skill.

The bottle should not be shaken at all. If the bottle is shaken, the pressure in the bottle increases and a lot of champagne spills over and gets wasted when the corks come off.

To open the bottle, first remove the wire enclosure around the cork. Hold the bottle firmly in place by pressing it against yourself.

The cork then must be slowly twisted around. When the cork is out of the neck of the bottle, a slight pressure applied by the flick of the thumb sends the cork flying out of the bottle. The bottle should therefore be aimed away from faces and crystal or any other breakable things.

Champagne can be opened without the sound of the big pop. Connoisseurs strive for a quite muffled or hissing sound. This prevents too much air from escaping, prevents spillage of the precious liquid and retains the bubbles which give the wine its character.