Opening Champagne

How do you open a bottle of Champagne, or for that matter, any sparkling wine, without wasting any of it? I cringe every time I see someone shooting the cork open, wasting half the bottle in the process. But I know it's possible to do it in a more civilized manner.

I'm really starting to fall in love with Champagne. I love the complexity of the wine, how great it is with food, and just the history and traditions behind it. It's such a shame that the vast majority of people don't understand it, and therefore waste it.

I succeeded last night. I guess the trick is to have the bottle standing upright on a table. Turn the cork slowly. Make sure you apply pressure downward. I havn't figured out how to slowly ease the cork out yet, because the pressure of the bottle is just too powerful. I let it pop out loudly but if you avoid obstructing the neck of the bottle, the gas escapes. I think that's the trick to not letting the wine bubble out of the bottle.

The day before, I opened a bottle of sparkling wine from Chile. When I removed the cork, I held it against the opening of the bottle too long. The gas couldn't escape, and it sprayed the wine everywhere. I was almost ready to start licking it off the ground. I hate wasting wine.