An effervescent glass of perfectly chilled Champagne or sparkling white wine is the perfect way to kick off celebrations on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve. But what if your guests have arrived and that bottle of bubbles is still at room temperature? Luckily, there are some easy tricks that will help you chill it fast. 

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Champagne chilling method #1: A wet tea towel

To chill Champagne in around 15-20 minutes, soak a tea towel in cold water, then wring it out so it’s still damp but not soaking wet. Wrap your bottle in the wet towel and place the wrapped bottle on its side in the freezer. The wet towel helps the cold air move heat away from the bottle much faster than the cold freezer air alone. 

But a big caveat here: DO NOT forget that you put a bottle of Champagne in the freezer. The liquid will freeze and expand, potentially causing the bottle to explode. That’ll leave you with one fine mess to clean up. Oh, and no bubbles. 

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Champagne chilling method #2: A saltwater ice bath

To chill your Champagne in around 5-10 minutes, half-fill an ice bucket, a large bowl or your kitchen sink with ice. Add enough cold water so that the bottle will be submerged up to its neck. Next add a generous amount of salt – about half a cup for a standard ice bucket. Salt lowers the freezing point of the water, which means it can get even colder than zero degrees without freezing solid. Now add your bottle, and gently spin it by the neck every 30 seconds or so. This moves the liquid inside the bottle around, allowing more of it to get chilled by the icy water.  

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Should I store Champagne in the fridge?

If you’re already storing your Christmas bubbles in the fridge ahead of the big day, you might think you’re being super organised, but you’re actually putting that fancy bottle in peril.

According to Isabelle Tellier, chef de cave of Tsarine – the prestige Champagne brand produced by Chanoine Frères house in Reims, France – you should only put your Champagne in the fridge on the day that you intend to drink it. Champagne that’s been in the fridge too long can lose some of its flavour profile – prolonged exposure to colder refrigerator temperatures can dry out the cork, creating a leak between it and the bottle, which could cause some of your favourite bubbly’s flavour to escape. Vibrations from the fridge and light exposure from constant fridge-door opening can also have an effect on the flavour of the wine.

To store Champagne at home, Tellier suggests keeping it out of the sun, laying it down horizontally, and preferably keeping it at around 16-17°C. Then pop it in the fridge on the day you plan to drink it.

Cheers to a well-chilled glass of bubbles. Now you can always keep your cool when entertaining, even if the Champagne isn’t.

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