How can you tell if a champagne is still good?

Contents

First of all, let’s talk about conservation

Champagne should be stored in a cool place at a constant temperature, ideally between 10° and 12° (for connoisseurs, keep the humidity level between 60 and 70). Champagne is fragile, so it’s especially important not to store it above 20°, as this can cause thermal shock.

Although good quality wine bottles have been fitted with UV protection glass for the past thirty years, you still need to be wary of neon lights and ordinary lamps, lest your champagne take on the “taste of light”.

On the other hand, champagnes should be stored horizontally to limit gas loss due to cork drying out when the bottle is stored vertically.

Most champagnes are not vintage, meaning they are blended from several years’ harvests (conversely, a great champagne is vintage if the year is exceptional and the annual harvest is sufficient). These champagnes should be kept for a maximum of 1 or 2 years; a vintage champagne may be kept longer, depending on its quality.

Now let’s take a look at a few tips on how to tell if a champagne is still good.

First of all, let’s judge by eye: if there’s little effervescence, it’s because the champagne has lost its bubbles, the CO2 has dissolved and the champagne has been poorly stored. On the other hand, if the color is deep, the yellowish/golden hue is due to oxidation of the juice over time.

Then, if the champagne no longer has its fresh aromas (citrus, white flowers…) or its fermentative aromas (yeast, toast…), and only its tertiary aromas obtained through aging (mushrooms, cloves…), it’s because we’ve waited too long and the juice has run off.

Finally, on the palate, if the CO2 has disappeared and the acidity is low, all you feel is a flat juice that has lost its tension. The champagne has been kept too long and is no longer good.

Extra: if you look closely at the bottle cork, you’ll notice that the corks of old champagnes lose their “mushroom” shape and adopt a cylindrical one. It’s easy to spot out-of-date champagne without even tasting it!

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