Taking care of fizz-ness! How to serve champagne at a top restaurant

Our secret sommelier talks one-size-fits-all glassware and know-it-all customers

There are a number of benefits to using a more conventional wine glass for champagne, instead of the traditional flute (Getty/iStock)

Upon accidentally inventing champagne, Dom Pérignon is rumoured to have called to his fellow monks, “come quickly, for I am tasting the stars!” This is widely known to be a lie – one of many that are levelled at champagne.

Another is that it isn’t wine, or that it shouldn’t be treated as such. The thing is, it is, and it should be.

You’ll find that, in a number of restaurants, people are coming around to treating sparkling wines just like the others: the sparkling section of many menus is growing, rich champagnes are being decanted, champagne is being served in normal wine glasses.