Hey Everyone! Found this article in the Chicago Sun Times, and thought I'd share...might be helpful! Have a happy and safe New Year weekend!!!

Before you pop the cork ...

December 29, 2006
BY JIM RITTER Staff Reporter
Chicago Sun Times

This is champagne's time to sparkle.
Twenty percent of the champagne consumed each year is downed over New Year's weekend, according to Gary Heck, president of Korbel Champagne Sellers.

With that in mind, we offer this last-minute primer on the bubbly.

Cheryl V. Jackson
At the risk of sounding stupid, what exactly is champagne?
Wine with carbon dioxide bubbles. The producer adds yeast and sugar to previously fermented wine, then seals the wine in bottles or tanks. This results in a second fermentation, which produces the bubbles.

How do I ensure the best bubbles?
If a champagne bottle is jostled, it will quickly lose its fizz after opening. So keep the bottle upright in the car; this will minimize movement and keep bubbles in the champagne. And after opening, bubbles will last longer in a tall, tapered champagne flute.

What's the difference between champagne and sparkling wine?
Any wine that has bubbles is sparkling wine. According to the French, only sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France should be called champagne. But American producers consider champagne a semi-generic term that applies to any sparkling wine.
In a recent international trade deal, the two sides compromised. Existing brands can continue to be labeled champagne, provided the label states where the champagne was made. But new brands made outside the Champagne region of France cannot be called champagne.

What are prices like this year?
About the same as last year, Heck said. A Wine Institute spokeswoman added that prices range from as low as $3 per bottle to several hundred dollars per bottle.

What's trendy these days?
Pink champagne is very big. Also popular are mini-bottles of champagne that fill roughly 1½ glasses, or one-fourth the amount of regular-size champagne bottles.

I want the best.
Then look for "Methode Champenoise" on the label. This means the secondary fermentation was done in bottles. This method takes longer and is more expensive than fermenting in sealed tanks, called the bulk or charmat process. Methode Champenoise produces smaller bubbles that last longer.

What about the vintage?
This refers to the year the grapes were harvested. Since growing conditions vary, some years are better than others. Generally, only the more expensive champagnes include a vintage year on the main label or neck label.
Last May, the federal government loosened its labeling standard. Now, at least 85 percent of a vintage wine or champagne must come from grapes harvested in the vintage year. The old requirement was 95 percent. Under the new standard, a 750-milliliter bottle could contain up to four ounces of wine or champagne from another year. However, the 95 percent standard still applies to products from specific regions, such as Sonoma and Napa Valley.

Why do some bottles have corks, while others have plastic caps?
Corks are less likely to allow carbon dioxide to leak out, which makes the champagne flat. To make a tight seal, a 35-millimeter cork is squeezed into a 28-millimeter opening. But corks cost 35 cents to 75 cents apiece, while plastic caps cost 2 cents to 5 cents, Heck said.

Anything else?
Yes. Please don't drink and drive.

DON'T LET IT POP YOU
If you're not careful opening your champagne bottle, the cork could blast out and knock a hole in your ceiling.
Or blind someone in one eye.

Champagne is under roughly three times as much pressure as a car tire, and corks can shoot as far as 40 feet into the air. Champagne makers and the American Academy of Ophthalmology offer these safety tips on opening champagne:

• The cork on a warm bottle is more likely to pop unexpectedly. Also, warm champagne will bubble out. So to reduce the pressure, refrigerate for an hour or two before opening.

• Hold down the cork with the palm of your hand while removing the wire hood. Point the bottle away from yourself and others at a 45-degree angle. Place a towel over the top. Hold the cork with your strong hand and rotate the bottle to ease the cork off. Push down on the cork as it breaks free.

• It's best if the cork doesn't pop out. If the bottle merely sighs, that means the champagne still has all of its bubbles.

• After opening, turn the bottle upright slowly. If you do this too quickly, the champagne could bubble over.

• If the cork breaks off before you remove it, put the bottle in a safe place where no one would be hurt if the cork suddenly popped out. Never use a corkscrew, which could cause the bottle to shatter.