How To: Open and Pour a Bottle of Champagne

So you've got your bottle of bubbly chilling and you're ready to celebrate. But before you get the party started, you have to face that dreaded moment…

Here's how to pop the cork without any catastrophes (or injuries for that matter)!

"It's actually quite simple, " says Charles MacPherson, President and Founder of the Academy for Butlers and Household Managers in Toronto, "but there's a few safety tips that we want to follow to make sure that we don't take anyone's eye out,"

By following these simple tips, you'll have your champagne open without any incidents… and in the glass instead of on the floor!

Step 1  Make sure your bottle is very well-chilled.

" If it is not properly chilled, it will actually foam a lot when it opens," notes MacPherson.

Step 2  Remove the foil wrapper.

Step 3  Put hand on top of bottle and over cork and hold securely, pull wire forward.

Slowly start to untwist the wire, being sure to keep your thumb securely on cork and wire ( this is the point where it could pop).

Step 4   Put bottle down and pull off wire cage, keeping your hand on top.

Step 5 Twist the bottle instead of the cork. 

Grip the neck of the bottle firmly in one hand and the base of the bottle in the other. While still holding the bottle securely with thumb firmly on cork, begin to twist from the base. As twisting you will feel cork slowly start to push itself out because of pressure. If done correctly, you will hear a gentle pop and not a massive explosion.

Step 6 Prime the glass.

Pour small amount of champagne in each glass first, allow the bubbles to mostly subside, then pour in the rest. It helps to gently twist the bottle after pouring to avoid drips.