How to Serve Champagne Like a Wine Expert

Are you intimidated by the idea of serving champagne to guests at your next party? Don’t be. This ‘instant party in a bottle’ may seem all fancy, but it’s really not that difficult to serve. Keep in mind these champagne service dos and don’ts so you can serve and enjoy champagne without making a fool of yourself.

1. Keep your champagne in a cool and dry place.

Many people instinctively put their bottles of sparkly straight in the fridge when they buy drinks online. But they are not as pleasant to drink when they are too cold. This is why experts recommend keeping champagne in a cool and dry place away from the sun. Don’t have a wine cellar? The cupboard will do. You can also put your champagne bottles in your wardrobe.

Did you already put them in the fridge? Don’t worry—it’s not too late. Bring them out and put them in an ice bucket around 30 minutes before your guests arrive.

2. Serve it in the right glasses.

Sparkling wine is almost always serving flutes, but this is not always in the best way to go. There are many different kinds of sparkling wine with their own unique taste profiles—and they are best served in specific types of glasses.

Tulip glasses: Great for rose, prosecco, and aged sparkling wine

A tulip glass is tall enough so that aromas and bubbles can fully develop. The structure of a tulip glass (with its wider bowl compared to a flute) allows it to collect more floral aromatics, making it ideal for fruity sparkling wines and vintage champagne with hints of biscuit and brioche.

Flutes: For crémant, cava, and similar types

Flutes are primarily designed to make bubbles last longer. Because they have narrow rims, they help ensure that the bubbles on the wine’s surface don’t disappear right away while retaining the flavors of the drink.

Coupe glasses: A fun alternative

These glasses were popular in the 1950s and are making a comeback. The wide brims of coupe glasses make bubbles disperse quickly—and this is not always a bad thing, as it can make the wine taste fruitier and softer. Try them for sweeter sparkling wines such as Asti Spumante.

Note: If you only have flutes, then by all means use them. But if you’re fortunate enough to have tulips and coupe glasses in your cupboard, now is the time to bring them out.

3. Save them for dessert.

Some people order champagne online with the intention of serving them as welcome drinks. Nothing wrong with that. But wine experts agree that bubblies are best served with dessert as a fresher and lighter alternative to heavier dessert wine. You might want to try this at your next party.

4. Learn how to pour properly.

Don’t pour an entire glass of bubbly in one go. The right way to do it is to pour an inch carefully into the glass and leave it to let the foam settle. Only then should you go ahead and pour more into the rest of the glass until it’s about two-thirds filled.

5. Buy quality.

Bubbles in sparkling wine come from the second round of fermentation, which is when sugar is added. Wineries that make cheaper bubblies often skip this step, choosing instead to inject carbon dioxide into the drink to create instant bubbles that many says can cause rough hangovers. So never skimp on quality when you order champagne online. Your guests will be able to tell the next day!

It’s always worth the extra cost to get high-quality bottles when you buy drinks online. You don’t necessarily have to overspend on the finest champagnes because the best online retailers—like 365Drinks—can offer good-value, high-quality options from respected winemakers.