Change in pop culture as champagne bottles get new lever stopper

THE age-old tradition of popping the cork from a bottle of champagne could become a rarer sight – but it has nothing to do with the credit crunch.

The Duval-Leroy Champagne house in France is to introduce bottles with aluminium stoppers and levers rather than corks, in a move that could make the traditional scenes witnessed at the end of a grand prix a thing of the past.

As with some beer bottles, or more upmarket wine bottle corkscrews, the champagne bottle’s neck is gripped by a plastic cover while the lever eases the grip, lifts the cap and breaks the seal. After spending £800,000 on research, Alcan Packaging, the makers of the new stopper, believe they have produced the ideal alternative to wrestling with a cork.

But Welsh wine experts are not as convinced.

Richard Ballantyne, sales director at Ballantynes Wine Merchants in Cardiff, said the new stopper – called a Maestro – will never outdo the cork.

“The flying cork is all part of the fun champagne experience,” he said.

“I reckon about 30 to 40% of the enjoyment of champagne is the opening process – why would you want to lose that? But closures in the wine industry are a hot topic in the trade at the moment so it’s not surprising someone has come up with this one. And although it’s been made well and offers a good opportunity for branding on the lever, it looks quite expensive and that would surely affect the overall cost of the product. Although some may consider this the equivalent of the screw cap for still wines, I think it’s still a long way off.

“Some people like to keep champagne corks as souvenirs but I can’t imagine them wanting to keep an aluminium and plastic lever. However, I am glad there’s somebody out there exploring different closures as there’s nothing worse than a corked bottle of wine.”

Carl Davies, retail manager at Nicolas wine merchants in Cardiff, agreed.

He said: “There’s something very romantic about popping the cork from the bottle. Champagne is a very deluxe product which you buy for special events and the whole experience is based on twisting the foil and wrestling with the cork. Maybe this new closure is aimed at convenience and people who can’t open the bottle but that comfort element might actually devalue the product.

“It just doesn’t sound like a great idea to me and I can’t see it taking off. If you struggle opening champagne, my advice is just to buy more bottles and get used to the cork.”

But William Hutchings, owner of the Bell at Skenfrith – a hotel and restaurant renowned for its award-winning wine list – said the Maestro had its advantages.

“This will be especially useful for women, who do traditionally struggle with stubborn corks,” he said. “I can see hen parties having a fabulous evening with these new corks and not having to call a man in to open the bottle. It looks nice and stylish and would fit in with the premium image of the beverage. I can’t see it not working as it’s so much more user friendly – for me it’s like replacing a tin opener with a ring pull.”

However, Mr Hutchings said the device may prove less popular with vintage champagnes.

“It’s the cork’s interaction with the air that gives the mature flavour so it may not be beneficial for wines that take 20 years or so to mature,” he said. “However, for the majority of champagnes there’s probably a good argument to use it.”

Bruno de Saizieu, Alcan’s commercial director, said: “The opening is very easy and peaceful. Women will be won over and also airlines and restaurants who need to work safely and quickly.”

But, he said, the almost theatrical method of opening champagne by removing the neck with a sword will still be available: “And for men who feel virile, it’s still possible to ‘sabre’ the bottle.”

And though the cork may be gone, the company insist the pop and fizz will remain.

“We tried a screwtop, but we found the symbolic noise was not there which was no good as it was our priority to keep this specific and evocative sound of the champagne opening,” he added.