Introducing the best Champagne stopper
We found a snappy stopper that keeps bubbles fresh for longer.
Here at fatcork, we’re committed to making sure that our Champagne is always fresh and delicious — from France to our cave to your glass, all the way down to your very last sip. No detail is too small, nothing is left to chance, and we never, ever, want the world’s best bubbles to go flat.
So, of course, we searched high and low, putting countless Champagne stoppers to the test, before choosing one that stands out from the rest. The winner doesn’t come with a battery, a high price tag or even a glossy metal finish. Actually, it’s made of plastic. But where it lacks panache, it more than makes up in power, and its unique design keeps Champagne fresh for days.
Read on to learn more about the stopper we’ve deemed worthy enough to preserve the world’s best grower Champagne.
Fermentation 101
To appreciate the genius of our pick for the best-ever Champagne stopper, let’s first review the concept of fermentation.
One of the things that makes Champagne so unique is that it undergoes multiple rounds of fermentation. After the grapes have been pressed and any skin fragments and sediments have settled and been removed, the clear grape juice is ready for fermentation.
The first stage — alcoholic fermentation — is a necessary part of the Champagne production process. Yeast in the tank turns the freshly pressed juice or musts into wine by eating up the natural grape sugars and producing alcohol. Some producers might also choose to allow another optional stage called malolactic fermentation where bacteria breaks malic acid down into lactic acid thereby lowering the acidity and adding unique fragrant notes to the wine. In either case, the goal of this first fermentation is to produce a wine with a maximum alcohol content of 11%.
Second fermentation is what gives Champagne its bubbles. After first fermentation, the wine is blended and bottled. The winemaker then adds "liqueur de tirage," a mixture of still wine, sugar and yeast, to each bottle. Inside the bottle, the yeast consumes the sugar, releasing alcohol and carbon dioxide, a.k.a bubbles. Second fermentation in the bottle is a process unique to the Méthode Champenoise. Champagne is always sold in the same bottle in which it underwent its second fermentation. After the bottle ages for a period of time, it’s disgorged and sealed with a cork. A wire cage keeps the cork in place until you’re ready to open the bottle.
The best-ever Champagne stopper
There is no shortage of options for Champagne stoppers — everything from expensive contraptions that require CO2 canisters to sleek but finicky models with recognizable brand names. However, our favorite stopper is perhaps the most unassuming of all the versions we tried. Made of durable plastic, it features a user-friendly snap-down design. Simply, insert the stopper at the mouth of the bottle and press down the lever. A food-safe rubber ring compresses inside the bottle, and the lever secures under the glass lip at the top of the bottle to create a completely airtight, hermetic seal. Carbon dioxide trapped inside the bottle keeps the bubbles perfectly intact, significantly extending the life of your Champagne.
Warning: Release the lever with care. This stopper does such a good job at trapping carbon dioxide in the bottle that the stopper could pop out with force if you’re not vigilant while opening the lever.
How long does it last, really?
We’ve put this stopper to the test in our own homes and are beyond pleased with the results. In fact, founders of fatcork Bryan and Abby Maletis once kept one of their favorite bottles fresh and in the fridge for a record five days straight.
“Abby and I are in the business of celebrating every day, so it’s rare that a bottle will last more than a day or two before we find a reason to finish it off, but this one particular week was an unusually busy one, bookended by Sunday brunch and Thursday sushi night,” Bryan said. “We opened the bottle on Sunday, stopped it with the simple stopper, and when we poured ourselves glasses later in the week, the Champagne was still bubbly.”
*Bonus: Our best-ever stopper fits magnums and half-bottles, too!
How many stoppers is too many?
When it comes to the best Champagne stopper, we say “the more the merrier.” Put one in your picnic basket or Sterilite tub of camping supplies, toss one in your bag, keep a few on hand to gift to friends or stash them in the kitchen drawer for the next time you have a party and want to open multiple bottles at once. With the best Champagne stoppers always within reach, you’ll never waste a single bubble again.
Get your own best-ever Champagne stopper here.
