Pop the Cork, Not Your Eye

Careless handling of champagne is a common cause for eye related injuries. These injuries are often caused by improperly opening the bottle, as a champagne cork is just less than 90 pounds of pressure—3 times the pressure inside a car tire.

• The recommended way to properly open a bottle is to ease the cork out slowly, with the sound of a gentle sigh—not a pop, which wastes champagne.
• Make sure your champagne is chilled and unshaken. Chill the bottle for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator (a warm bottle is more likely to pop).
• Remove the foil cap covering the top of the bottle, exposing a wire hood.
• Undo the wire hood with 6 half-turns of the knob.
• Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle while holding the cork firmly with one hand and the base of the bottle with the other. Be sure to point the bottle away from your guests.
• Do not twist the cork. Rather, turn the bottle slowly while letting the cork glide out gently, emitting a gentle sigh.
• In the did-you-know department: There are more than 50 million bubbles in a standard bottle of champagne.