When there’s something worth celebrating, it’s time to pop open a champagne. But really, why are champagne corks different shapes? This might be a lingering question on your mind but we’re here to set the record straight.
Champagne corks look different than traditional wine works. While wine corks have a straighter shape, champagne corks take on a mushroom shape. This is due to the CO2 and pressure building up in the bottle, causing the cork to expand. Additionally, champagne corks typically have a different structure than traditional corks.
While champagne corks are a different shape from wine corks, they come in only one shape. They may differ in size for various reasons but they’re always a mushroom shape.
Why Use Corks on Champagne?
Champagne is the go-to celebratory beverage. Popping a bottle of champagne will always be part of the celebration.
The fizz and bubbles in a bottle of champagne will only add even more fun to the festivities.
Even if you’re not a wine or champagne expert, you are most likely to know how important closures and corks are for a wine bottle. The wine, champagne, and sparkling wine cork and closure will directly affect how the alcoholic beverage will taste after it has been aged and opened for drinking.
Unlike still wines, champagne has quite a different composition due to the carbonation.
Winemakers and champagne manufacturers use specially designed bottles to contain champagne and the bubbles that develop during the process.
Champagne has become a popular celebratory beverage due to the fun fizz and bubbles. As such, a champagne cork should be able to contain these bubbles until the bottle has been aged just right, opened, and ready for pouring.
Why Are Champagne Corks Different Shapes?
When you look at wine and champagne bottles side by side, you will immediately notice a difference not only in the bottles but also in the shape and size of the corks that keep the liquid content inside.
In your journey of understanding the bubbly and fizzy beverage that is champagne, you might have a few questions playing in your mind like: why are champagne corks different shapes?
Do champagne corks have different shapes?
Before we answer that question, let’s first discuss whether or not champagne corks have varying shapes.
The thing is, a champagne cork has a different shape than a wine cork.
Traditional wine corks are straight, compared to champagne corks that take on the classic mushroom shape people associate with the bubbly beverage.
So while champagne corks differ in shape from traditional wine corks, they always take on the shape of a mushroom.
The only difference you will notice in a variety of champagne corks is the size due to the shape of the bottle opening, the makeup of the cork, or the champagne itself.
The Champagne Cork Design
Sparkling beverages like champagnes, sparkling wines, ciders, and even some beers need a cork that can seal the bottle in a way that prevents the carbonation from escaping the champagne or sparkling wine bottles.
Champagne corks are different from traditional wine corks not just in their shape but also in this sense and how they were designed.
The iconic mushroom-shape
Champagne and sparkling wine corks have an agglomerate body with discs at the bottom of the cork. These discs are more elastic than the rest of the cork and will expand once they come into contact with the CO2 and pressure inside the bottle. This expansion is what causes the mushroom-shaped champagne corks we all know today.
Champagne corks typically have a diameter of about 31mm and are originally perfectly cylindrical. They are then compressed down to about 18mm to fit into the neck of the bottle. Then, these champagne corks expand and continue to do so while inserted into the bottle neck to maintain the right amount of pressure and prevent gas inside the bottle from escaping.
The mushroom shape results due to the cork’s elasticity trying to go back to its natural size after compression.
Can I Reseal the Bottle With the Same Cork?
No, you cannot reseal the champagne bottle with the same cork you just popped. This is due to the cork continuing to expand after you pop the bottle. You simply would not be able to insert the cork back in.
How to reseal instead
Champagne is best consumed right after popping open the bottle.
But if you really can’t pour and costume everything, your best option to save the rest is with a champagne stopper. Then, keep the bottle cold in the fridge to keep the bubbles longer. You can expect its life to extend for about three to five days more.
Conclusion
Champagne has been the number one celebratory drink when there’s something worth celebrating. But why are champagne corks different shapes? If you’ve popped open more than a few bottles in your day, you might be wondering this very same thing.
Champagne corks have a different shape than traditional wine corks. Wine corks are typically straight, compared to champagne corks that take on the shape of a mushroom. Champagne corks have a different structure and makeup than wine corks. This plus the pressure and CO2 inside the bottle cause the mushroom shape we all know too well.
Perhaps the query on the different shapes of champagne corks stems from the differences in bottle shapes, champagne brew, or cork structure. But in the end, all champagne corks are mushroom-shaped.
