Champagne in an ice bucket and glasses poured in the garden, copyright BKWine Photography
We recently wrote about some common myths about champagne, the world-famous sparkling wine region in France: 3 Myths About Champagne That Every Champagne Lover Should Know. Here’s a follow-up with five more “myths” or misconceptions. Knowing these will make you enjoy champagne even more. In fact, they apply not only to champagne but to any sparkling wine.
“Serve champagne ice cold”
“Serve it just above freezing point. Put it in an ice bucket and keep it there until it is empty.” This is a good idea for simple white wines or everyday rosés. For champagne (and other quality sparkling and white wine) it can be a disaster, especially if it is a very good wine. Serving a wine ice cold removes most of its taste. At just a few degrees above freezing, you’ll just get a pleasant acidity and a prickliness from the bubbles.
A rule of thumb is that the more full-bodied and the better quality wine, the higher the serving temperature. I would serve a “standard” champagne at 46-50 F (8-10 C) and then give it time to warm up a bit in the glass. If you have it in an ice bucket, just put it occasionally in the bucket and keep it on the table otherwise, or in a bucket with very little ice. Or, actually, in a bucket with only ice and no water. If there is no water in the bucket, the chilling effect will be modest.
