Got a dining question you're too embarrassed to ask your server about? Ask Zagat.
With the king of all sparkling-wine-soaked holidays approaching –
that'd be New Year's Eve – Zagat Buzz turned to a man who knows his
champagne from his prosecco, Hervé Rousseau, to answer our
bubbly-related questions. Rousseau, owner of NYC champagne bars Flûte Gramercy and Flûte Midtown, spoke to the Buzz from Paris, where he is opening a third Flûte this New Year's Eve.
Zagat Buzz: Are champagne flutes purely decorative? We've heard white wine glasses are better for encouraging the aromas of champagne.
Rousseau: Sure, why not, it can help the aroma. But
the thing about the flute is that it concentrates the flavor and it
also keeps the fizziness in the champagne longer. Because the wider the
glass, the more CO2 is going to escape. That is why when people would
drink champagne out of cups, before they had flutes, the champagne
would go flat very quickly. More quickly than with flutes.
And a little tip about flutes. It is better to hold it by the stem.
And not because you want to look like a wine connoisseur, the only
reason is that this way you won't warm up your glass, basically.
Champagne, like any good wine, hates an abrupt change in temperature.
Do you have a dining question you'd like answered? Drop us a line at buzz@zagat.com!