Four ways to protect your leftover champagne from flattening, appropriate procedures for keeping unopened bottles of champagne, and some suggestions for utilizing up that remaining bubbly!

Why does champagne go flat?

A little scientific lesson:

Carbon dioxide gas creates the bubbles in champagne and prosecco. The carbon dioxide in an unopened bottle of champagne is balanced by the gas held between the liquid and the cork. When you open the bottle, the gas escapes, causing the balance to shift.

Moreover, since carbon dioxide is more soluble at lower temperatures, the longer it is refrigerated, the longer it will retain the dissolved gas. As the temperatures rise, the bubbles dissipate.

This is true for high-quality champagne, decent champagne, and cheap champagne.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s speak about how to keep champagne fresh after opening, since friends don’t drink flat champagne.

How to store unopened champagne bottles

I really lied. Let’s start with how to keep your champagne before you open it. You want to make sure you’re laying the groundwork for success when you crack that sucker open!

Should champagne be stored vertically or horizontally?

Champagne may be kept upright or on its side, unlike other wines, which should be stored on their sides to retain the liquid against the cork.

Since the bubbles in champagne keep the bottle nice and wet on the inside, there is no chance of the cork drying out and allowing air to leak inside, as there is with wine bottles.

At what temperature should champagne be stored?

You should keep your champagne between 45F and 65F. If the temperature is too hot or too cold, the cork may dry up and let oxygen into the bottle.

You’ve certainly seen folks in movies and TV programs open their fridge to reveal that all they have on hand is leftover takeout with a few bottles of beer and champagne (and vodka in the fridge, of course), but this isn’t a good location to store it!

Refrigerators are designed to keep food safe at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is lower than you want for a bottle of bubbly.

In the end, it’s less about the temperature and more about maintaining a stable temperature. If the temperature of your prized bottle of celebratory champagne fluctuates dramatically, the liquid may expand and shrink, and things might go wrong.

Since most of us do not have a wine cellar (but could you imagine?) I like our wine freezer and definitely suggest it to anybody who likes to stock up on wines and bubbly.

How to keep champagne fresh after opening the bottle

1. Keep it chilled

Whatever you did to keep it cold before opening it, keep it much cooler now that it’s open. I noted before that you shouldn’t store unopened champagne in the fridge, but what about opened champagne? Place it in the refrigerator.

The cooler temperature inhibits the production of the CO2 bubbles, therefore the fridge or an ice bucket full of miniature icebergs (as we suppose our cat views them) is the way to go.

However, for the love of everything that is sacred, do not freeze champagne. No, it will not explode in the freezer, but it will destroy all those lovely bubbles.

Nevertheless, if you open it immediately after taking it out of the freezer, it might explode, so don’t do that, ok?

Don’t forget to keep your prosecco in the vehicle on a chilly winter day! The same principles of freezing apply.

2. Use a hermetic cork or champagne sealer

This is without a doubt the finest way to preserve leftover champagne to keep it bubbly: reseal your leftover champagne with a reusable, airtight hermetic cork. This is the best method for me since it is dependable and leaves little opportunity for mistake.

There are several options available, however I highly prefer this champagne stopper. It not only works well, but it also looks good!

3. Plastic wrap and a rubber band

If you don’t have any champagne sealers, put some plastic wrap over the bottle’s mouth and neck. Wrap the rubber band tightly around the bottle’s neck.

4. Stick a fork in it (or a spoon)

For years, I’ve heard that putting the handle of a metal silver spoon or fork in the neck of an opened bottle of champagne stops it from falling flat.

The cold spoon cools the neck of the champagne bottle, and when it comes into touch with room-temperature champagne, it forms an air stopper that prevents the gas (bubbles) in the bottle from escaping.

Does the metal spoon hack really work?

No, I’m not going to lie to you. Some people swear by this strategy, while others say it’s a complete waste of time.

I’ve had inconsistent results, and I haven’t tested it well enough to know whether it was impacted by the quality of the champagne, the temperature of the fridge it was kept in, or other things.

All of this to say, give it a go and let me know how it goes in the comments!

5. Or… use it in a dessert recipe!

I like using champagne into desserts, and I have a few suggestions for you:

• Truffles with White Chocolate and Champagne
• Champagne Nutella Dip
• Cupcakes with Champagne

Stock up on mini bottles of champagne

Do you dislike dealing with leftover champagne in general? That’s what I’m hearing.

A full bottle of champagne is 750mL, and a half bottle is 375mL, and neither my husband nor I have ever completed either in a single sitting.

Hence, if you’re not planning a huge party, the little bottles come in handy! Get a couple of the 187mL bottles of champagne or prosecco to have on hand for a special event, and you’ll never have to worry about leftovers when the urge hits for some bubbly.

Now that you’ve learned all there is to know about preserving leftover champagne, cheers to you and your next bottle!

I hope this was helpful! Is there anything more I should have spoken regarding this topic? Please let me know in the comments section below.

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