When midnight chimes on New Year’s Eve and the Champagne is uncorked, your first resolution should be to take cover or you might get an eyeful.
New research from Morrisons reveals that 12% of Brits have injured themselves or someone else when opening a bottle of Champagne. The most common cause is a flyaway cork hitting you (8%). In fact, almost 900,000 accident prone merrymakers have suffered a champagne shiner.
Other fizz related incidents include a sizeable 15% of the nation who’ve caused damage by breaking lights or ornaments with a low-flying cork, or spurted the sparkling wine accidently over clothes, carpets or curtains. 6% of revellers have even got so excited when welcoming a new year they’ve sprayed torrents of Champagne in exuberant celebration.
While it’s true that the majority of us have managed to avoid injury via Champagne, 18% of Brits are concerned about causing injury or damage when opening a bottle of bubbly. In particular, women are the more timid sex, with over a quarter (26%) lacking the confidence to pop their cork.
Across the nation, it’s those in the Midlands that have the most cork control, with 71% saying they’ve never had an accident and aren’t worried about causing one. However the capital should be dubbed the most Champagne calamitous city in the UK; almost half of Londoners (45%) have had, or have caused, a fizz related accident.
And it seems that cork popping skills are failing to be passed down from one generation to the next, as 18 to 34 year olds cause over twice as many accidents as the over 55s.
To avoid wastage of the precious wine on a mass scale this New Year’s Eve, Morrisons’ Master of Wine Arabella Woodrow has developed simple guidelines to help party-goers access their bubbly safely and economically, ensuring enjoyment from every drop.
“New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to celebrate with Champagne, but no one wants to waste those special bubbles. Corks can erupt at speeds of up to 60mph and there’s 70 pounds-per-square-inch of pressure (that’s three times the pressure of a car tyre) bottled up behind each one, so it’s important to get your uncorking technique right.”
Morrisons five easy tips to make sure the nation’s New Year’s Eve goes with a bang, not a bruise, are:
- Chill the bottle and leave it to rest for some time. Do not open a bottle that may have been shaken recently.
- Hold the bottle firmly and remove the wire hood while keeping a hand on the cork, as a bottle can unexpectedly uncork itself.
- Next, use a towel to grip the top of the bottle together with the cork. Tilt the bottle and point the cork away from others. Then slowly twist the cork, pulling slowly until it gently pops.
- When pouring the Champagne, hold the base of the bottle firmly in one hand. Pour down the side of the flute at a 45° angle, and begin by pouring just an inch or so into everyone's glass. Once the froth has disappeared, top up the glasses.
- Pouring at an angle preserves twice as much carbon dioxide in the Champagne (which is where all the flavour can be found) than pouring down the middle.
The retailer predicts that almost 995,000 bottles of Champagne will be sold before New Year’s Eve. Despite consumer belt-tightening, sales of the famous wine have risen at Morrisons as shoppers seek out award-winning own-brands and outstanding deals.
Published 28/12/2011