Champagne: It's All In The Chilling…
Unlike some wines, champagne is part of a culture better described as an art-form. Therefore, it requires thought and preparation in order to achieve its full potential. Drinking a glass of champagne isn’t simply about the champagne itself, but what one does in the hours leading up to the party. Just as important as selecting the right champagne is cooling it adequately; too cold and it will be ruined (over-chilling can be disastrous, preventing the flavours and aromas from making themselves known. Conversely, too warm and it will lack the crisp, defining edge that makes the drink so utterly unique).
Firstly, contrary to popular belief, you don’t necessarily have to own a champagne bucket. In emergencies, the refrigerator will do just as well: leave the bottle of choice on the bottom shelf for as long as necessary, then dip it in some icy water at the very last minute to maintain the illusion.
Secondly, if you have a champagne bucket to hand, twenty minutes or thereabouts should be plenty long enough.
Lastly, consider the age of your chosen champagne. If it’s young, it’ll benefit from beings served extra-cool (say, 8ºC), and if it’s a vintage then 10ºC should do just nicely.
