1 Wine Dude

A Serious Wine Blog For the Not-So-Serious Drinker

Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • New? Start Here!
    • PR & Samples
    • Press & What-Have-You
  • Wine
    • by badge
      • crowd pleaser
      • elegant
      • kick-ass
      • overachiever
      • sexy
    • Full Reviews
    • Mini-Reviews
  • Stalk
    • Follow me on News Break!
    • facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • pinterest
    • twitter
    • YouTube
  • Sign Up
  • Books
  • Services
  • Contact
Menu
1 Wine Dude
The Ultimate Guide to Champagne

Bubblicious! January 2017 Wine Product Roundup2 min read

Posted on January 19, 2017October 11, 2018 by 1WineDude

in wine products

This month’s edition of the Wine Product Roundup (in which I put to the test samples of wine wares that can’t actually be imbibed safely) just so happens to be themed, for your pleasure.

And pleasurable it is, because that theme is Champagne (and, well, bubbles in general).

The Ultimate Guide to Champagne
(image: amazon.com)

First up, there’s the other Champagne guide to be recently released, namely Liz Palmer’s “The Ultimate Guide to Champagne” (palmergroup, 314 pages, $39.50). I’ve known Liz to be both energetic and knowledgeable, both of which come through quite clearly in this guide, which is both aesthetically well-executed and very well organized.

The Ultimate Guide to Champagne employs a lifestyle-oriented approach, eschewing producer-focused essays for broader topics such as Champagne history, tasting etiquette, production techniques, and serving Champers at corporate functions. The emphasis is on the elegance and fun of the beverage and its birthplace, but the material doesn’t devolve into sappy lightheartedness. Recommended, though the price is a bit steep for a paperback that’s on the smaller side.

Now, when you’re reading about Champagne, it helps if you’re actually drinking the stuff (I’m actually hard-pressed to come up with anything that isn’t helped by drinking Champers, actually)… which is where our second product comes in, the ChampagnePopper (ChampagnePopper.com, about $15). And yeah, it’s one word.

ChampagnePopper
(image: amazon.com)

This device is basically a curved metal crowbar of sorts, with the added benefit of a bottle opener on the handle. Using it is pretty straightforward: you slip the tongs around a sparkling wine cork (that’s had its foil and cage removed… and is properly chilled for opening…), cover it with a dish towel (so the cork doesn’t injure anyone or anything), and sloooooowly pry the cork out.

Generally speaking, this thing works; that cork pops out, and it does so with minimal effort. Having said that, the loud POP! action that ensues isn’t really what you want happening with any medium-to-high-priced bubbles, because it’s indicating that you’ve let waaaaaay too much CO2 gas escape. If you’ve got physical concerns that make opening bottles of bubbles difficult, or you need to open a lot of budget-priced bubbles quickly, then the ChampagnePopper is a reasonable, solidly-built buy (you could probably knock someone out with this thing, honestly); just don’t let it near your vintage Champers.

Cheers!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

1 thought on “Bubblicious! January 2017 Wine Product Roundup2 min read”

  1. Bob Henry says:
    January 21, 2017 at 3:37 am

    From The Guardian (Section Unknown)
    (December 23, 2016, Page Unknown):

    “Champagne tastes better with bigger bubbles, study finds”

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/23/champagne-tastes-better-bigger-bubbles-prosecco-cava

    By Richard Gray

    — and —

    From American Scientist “Cover Story” Section
    (September 2009, Page Unknown):

    “Bubbles and Flow Patterns in Champagne;
    Is the fizz just for show, or does it add to the taste of sparkling wines?”

    http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/id.6777,y.2009,no.4,content.true,page.1,css.print/issue.aspx

    By Guillaume Polidori, Philippe Jeandet, Gérard Liger-Belair

    And use this link to see the accompanying exhibits:

    http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/id.6777,y.2009,no.4,content.true,page.1,css.print/issue.aspx

Comments are closed.

Dude’s New Books

Wine Taster's Guide Now Available!

“Bravo! Wine Taster's Guide is a perfect primer for both wine novices and learning enthusiasts." ―Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier

Wine Taster's Journal Now Available!

"Wine Taster's Journal belongs in everyone's cellar… preferably wine-stained, dog-eared, and well-used.” ―Brian Freedman, wine/spirits/travel columnist

Get Some Wine

Popular Stuff

  • Wine in the Time of Coronovirus, Part 22: Who's Down With BPC? (Bruno Paillard Champagne Tasting)
    Wine in the Time of Coronovirus, Part 22: Who's Down With BPC? (Bruno Paillard Champagne Tasting)
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For December 21, 2020
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For December 21, 2020
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For December 28, 2020
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For December 28, 2020
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For January 18, 2021
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For January 18, 2021
  • Speak Low And Carry A Big Mourvèdre (The Boz Scaggs Interview)
    Speak Low And Carry A Big Mourvèdre (The Boz Scaggs Interview)

About + Contact

Joe Roberts

Joe Roberts

Certified Specialist of Wine & WSET Advanced
Author, speaker, consultant, wine judge, & critic.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed

Find Stuff

Sign up, lushes!

Join 36,565 other subscribers

Fine Print

This site is licensed under Creative Commons.

Code of Ethics and Privacy Policies.

Play nice!

Get The Guide

Wine Tasters Guide Footer
#1 New Release in Amazon's Wine Tasting category
This site uses cookies. Duh. Cookie Policy
©2021 1 Wine Dude
Yo yo YO!

Wine Tasters Guide InstagramWell, hello there!

If you like what you’re reading (and want to like more of what you’re drinking), consider subscribing.

If you’re up for a more immersive wine learning experience, check out my books and other services.

Cheers!

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.