I feel badly for champagne.* It’s fizzy. It’s tasty. It’s very refreshing on a summer’s day. It does a wonderful job of picking up autumnal fruit flavors. It is smashing with dessert.
And the only time people seem to drink it is during the last hour of the year and the first hour of a wedding reception.
What a waste.
And I think waste is the problem. If your house is like mine, not everyone likes champagne (e.g. it's too sweet, I don't like the bubbles, it always gives me a headache**). And if you open a bottle – pop! – you better finish it (which is probably a bad idea if you’re the only one having champagne). Because it’s well known that champagnes don’t keep, right? Wrong.
Enter the champagne bottle stopper – which is designed to re-seal the bottle so it can go back in the refrigerator to please another day. A re-sealed bottle will easily last for a week or more – allowing plenty of time to finish off a bottle at an easy pace. I got this little beauty at Amazon. Set me back a whole $7.50.
Having champagne on-hand also opens up a whole world of champagne cocktails that go way beyond the mimosa. One of my first attempts was “The Ritz”
The Ritz
¾ oz orange juice
½ oz cognac
¼ oz citronage (or cointreau, or triple-sec)
Mix these three together briskly and add to the bottom of a flute. Top with champagne. The cognac mellows out the sweetness of champagne and the citrus adds a nice tang, creating a well-balanced and refreshing drink on a warm summer’s evening. I had two – and was considering a third, when I thought better of it…
*and for sparkling wine, as it’s called outside the Champagne region of France, and being a global citizen, I will refer to all of them as champagne.
**in order, don't buy "very dry" buy "brut" instead, nothing to do about that, don't buy really cheap stuff.
Stevil 
Yum! Great tips. I just put that bubbly saver on my Amazon wish list. :-) I've been drinking prosecco pretty often; I like it just as much as champagne (I'm not sure if there's a specific taste difference?), and it's cheaper.
Great post – my neighbor MEK would love this. Champagne, the disenfranchised drink. I've seen some people put a spoon in the bottle after opening it..? Maybe that's the cheesy solution….
I love sparkling red wines. MMMM… I do love the champagne, though. I usually go by this rule: Big bubbles = Big headache. hehe.
I love champagne. And having one of those stoppers handy is the perfect way to enjoy it over a couple of days. And you're so so right, it's silly to have it only for special occasions. What's your favorite?
I like prosecco too — I don't know if its as sweet as some chamagnes and it has a great aroma. Perfect for summer.
grrrace — I like the sparkling red wines too — and you see them so rarely.
It's a darn shame! :)
My favorite champagne, or my favorite champagne cocktail. My favorite champagne (you know, sparkling wine) is probably J — in the picture. My favorite cocktail with it (though I haven't had a wide sample — yet) is probably one with St Germain, chamagne, and club soda. Awesomely refreshing.
Oh, St Germaine is my ultimate favorite! So… floral? If I could have only one drink, it'd be St. Germaine + champagne.
I love happy hour. It's one of my favorite times of day!
Have you tried Asti? And, if you like sparkling red wines, you have to try Moscato d'Asti or Brachetto!John
St Germain has been one of our favorite finds this year — lightly sweet with that wonderful floral aroma. It's been in heavy rotation at The Aerie bar.
John — I really love Moscato d'Asti though I haven't tried the other types you linked to. I'm going to have to — thanks!
I love champagne. We just had a bottle Wednesday evening. Of course, it was our anniversary. And my family goes through nearly a case of it every year at Christmas morning brunch.