Everyone loves drinking champagne.

But, as you would expect, there are many right ways of going about drinking such a prestigious wine. What those right ways are, however, might surprise you.

Open it the right way

We’ve mentioned this one before. Everyone loves to pop bottles, but the right way to do it is twist the bottle away from the cork rather than vice versa. The effect should be more a sigh of relief than a shout to get the party started.

Skip the champagne flute

Yeah, we know; the clinking of long, thin champagne glasses is almost as synonymous with celebration as the wine itself. Which is fine. But if you’re looking to appreciate champagne in the way that you appreciate other good wines, it might be time to go against the grain and start sipping it from standard wine glasses. Those at the forefront of the push to treat champagne as a real wine and not just a lightweight celebratory tipple advocate it as a way of letting the wine breathe, appreciating the more complex flavors and, honestly, just getting your nose in there and having a good sniff.

Hold it right

If you insist on using a champagne flute, then make sure to hold at the stem and not the bowl of the glass. Champagne is always served chilled for a reason; a cool temperature is integral to its complex flavours, and those clammy party hands of yours will warm it up too quickly to make the most of it.

Click here for more tips. Better yet, visit your local Ultra Liquors, stock up on some fine champagne and start practising!