How to store open champagne?

Once you pop the cork on a bottle of champagne, a countdown begins — and it's faster than you might think. Champagne holds about 5–6 atmospheres of pressure, containing roughly 49 million bubbles according to physicist Gérard Liger-Belair at the University of Reims. Without a seal, most of that CO₂ escapes within 4–6 hours.

The only thing that actually works is a proper champagne stopper — the kind with a metal clamp that grips the bottle's lip. They cost about €5–10 and they genuinely extend the life of an open bottle to 1–2 days. Standard wine stoppers don't create enough of a seal for sparkling wine.

Refrigeration is essential. Cold temperatures increase the solubility of CO₂ in liquid — the same reason a cold soda stays fizzy longer than a warm one. Keep the stoppered bottle upright in the fridge at 4–5 °C.

Now, about that silver spoon trick — the one where you dangle a spoon handle in the bottle neck. It's been thoroughly debunked by the Champagne region's own research body (CIVC). They tested it rigorously and found zero measurable difference between a bottle with a spoon and one without. It's a charming myth, nothing more.

One more tip: if your champagne has gone flat, don't pour it down the drain. Flat champagne is essentially a nice white wine and works beautifully in cooking — for pan sauces, risotto, or deglazing. Nothing wasted.