Serve Champagne and Sparkling Wines

Champagne and other sparklers want to be stored... between 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit. Sparkling wine should probably stay in the cooler portions of your wine cellar, usually near the floor.

How to Store Champagne and Sparkling Wines

Storing Champagne and Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine, particularly Champagne, can be aged 2-10 years with good results. Bottles recently recovered from a 200 year old shipwreck were recently pronounced excellent by tasters, but we wouldn't suggest you go to those extremes.

Scuba divers exploring sihpwreck

Bottles recently recovered from a 200 year old shipwreck were recently pronounced excellent by tasters, but we wouldn't suggest you go to those extremes.

Like all wine, Champagne and other sparklers want to be stored in a cool, dark and humid environment. Sunlight and vibration should be minimized, a 60-70% relative humidity should be maintained, and temperatures should stay between 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit. Sparkling wine should probably stay in the cooler portions of your wine cellar, usually near the floor.

Ideal Wine Serving Temperatures


  • Champagne and Sparkling Wines: 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit

Sparkling wine and Champagne present unique storage challenges. Some people argue that sparkling wines can acceptably be stored upright and the gasses of the wine will carry enough moisture to keep the cork healthy. There is some evidence that upright may be slightly better under some circumstances, but horizontal storage is by far more space-efficient and will definitely keep the corks more hydrated.

custom wine cellar design in Del Mar / La Jolla Area in San Diego California

This custom wine cellar design in Del Mar / La Jolla Area in San Diego California uses a few different types of wine bottle showcasing techniques in the wine storage space, including high reveal display, horizontal display, arches coved trays, wine case storage, curved countertops, and overhead racking.

Since Champagne bottles are thicker than standard Bordeaux bottles and shaped slightly differently, you will need to make sure you have wine racks that will fit those bottles. Universal racking is common in wine cabinets, and most will specify whether they fit Champagne bottles.


How to Serve Champagne and Sparkling Wines

Champagne and Sparkling Wines Serving Temperature

Champagne and other sparkling wines are always served chilled. They will be at their best around 45 degrees or even a bit cooler, so put the bottle in the refrigerator for a couple hours or use the cooler zone of a dual-zone wine refrigerator. After opening the bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine, use an ice bucket to keep it chilled while you drink it.

How to Serve Champagne and Sparkling Wines


Champagne and Sparkling Wine Glasses

Champagne and Sparkling Wine Glasses

Champagne is traditionally served in Champagne flutes, and these work well for other sparklers as well. The choice of glass actually has a strong effect on the bubbles. Carbon dioxide doesn't fully release from the wine until it hits the dry surface of the glass, a process called nucleation. Some Champagne flutes are laser etched to encourage this process. The narrow mouth of the glass helps direct the bubbles up towards the drinker for maximum enjoyment.


Properly Opening Your Bottle of Wine

There is a specific process to opening a bottle of wine to avoid problems that can happen while opening and serving your wine.

The process for properly opening your bottle of wine is outlined in our article How to Properly Open and Serve a Bottle of Wine.

Waiter serving white wine

More About Storing and Serving Wine

We have written three articles that go into the detail of the differences for storing red wine, white wine, and champagne and sparkling wines.

Written by

Gene Walder

Former President and co-owner of Vintage Cellars and Vintage Wine Cellars, Gene started Vintage Cellars in 1990 and stepped down in 2020. Under new ownership, Vintage Cellars continues thriving 31 years later with over 2,500 gorgeous custom wine cellars designed and built. Gene is an expert in all aspects of building and designing custom wine cellars and wine storage.