So my usual Champagne stopper has, well, stopped working. This can be a hazardous situation since it involves the potential loss of one’s eyesight—or worse. That’s because my emergency back-up plan now consists of shoving a silicone wine stopper down the throat of an opened bottle of sparkling.

Allow me to explain. There’s a lot of pressure formed by trapped carbon dioxide inside a bottle of bubbly—about 45-50 PSI for a typical Prosecco and more like 90-100 PSI in a bottle of Champagne. According to Grandes Marques & Maisons de Champagne, an unattended cork popped from a bottle of Champagne exits at about 47 kph, or 13 metres per second. That’s “fast enough to hit the eye from a distance of one metre in less than 1/10th of a second, which is slightly faster than the full 1/10th of a second it takes for the human eye to blink in defence.”

A 2008 article in the UK’s Daily Mail suggested more people die each year from flying Champagne corks (roughly 24) than from spider bites. That seems like a lot, but I know how close I was to losing an eye last week when I leaned into the bottom rung of our fridge door to retrieve a partially drained Champagne. The jostling of the door, coupled with the CO2 inside the bottle, provided sufficient encouragement to dislodge the slippery silicone stopper, which shot past my cheek as though the bottle were firing at me in self-defense.

Fortunately I lived to tell the story.

Which reminds me: I need to get that Champagne stopper.

 

Bailly Lapierre Crémant de Bourgogne Reserve Brut — Burgundy, France ($20.95)
Speaking of Champagne and Prosecco, here’s one of those “best of both worlds” products from Burgundy sparkling wine specialist Bailly Lapierre. It’s classified as a Crémant, which means it’s a French sparkling wine made using the traditional Champagne method (you can’t legally call it Champagne unless it’s produced in the Champagne region). Named for its hometown village of Bailly and dating back 50 years, this is the birthplace of the AOC Crémant de Bourgogne, with cellars carved from bedrock 50 metres underground.

This particular bubbly, blended from all four of the appellation’s grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay and Aligoté), is essentially the introductory sparkler from the winery, although its awards have included gold medals at both the 2018 Concours Général Agricole and Concours National des Crémants.

For those who love the clean, refreshing, not-too-dry nature of a traditional Prosecco (as well as its value-oriented price), this easy-drinking bubbly with its green apple/cantaloupe/pear and brioche notes will certainly appeal. But then comes the richness of its tiny bubbles and length, courtesy its traditional method of production. That’s where the value really kicks in. 90

SPARKLING WINE TIP: If you’re not planning on not drinking the whole bottle of bubbly, note that a well-sealed traditionally made sparkling wine will last up to five days, whereas your more inexpensive tank-method bubbly probably has a one- to two-day drinking window before it’s too flat to appreciate.