Champagne is a traditional place and a traditional wine. Not for the champenois the new-fangled ideas about screw-top closures, wine in a box, wine in a can for goodness sake. No thank you; we'll stick to the tried and tested cork. Champagne just wouldn't be champagne without the cork.
But wait..... what's this? Is the establishment about to crumble after all?
Well, this is a new type of easy-open champagne stopper called Le Maestro and made by Alcan. It was launched about a month or so ago ( you may have read about it in The Timesand elsewhere) and combines the traditional-looking foil , covering a metal cap , rather like a beer bottle cap, and a lever at the side to open the bottle. More importantly, there' s no cork.
The first champagne maker to test Le Maestro was Duval-Leroy and by all reports the initial impression was good : no effect on the quality of the champagne and - critically - the sound of the bottle opening is almost identical to that produced using a cork. So, all looked good for Le Maestro being introduced more widely until.....
The local consumer affairs authorities refused to sanction the use of Le Maestro because, according to laws passed back in 1919, a champagne bottle must be sealed with a cork in the shape of a mushroom and bearing the word 'champagne' on the part of the cork which is inside the neck of the bottle.
For its part Alcan is appealing this ruling and is pressing forward with plans to increase production significantly. So perhaps we haven't seen the last of Le Maestro??? What do you think? Let me know by e-mail to
To help you make up your mind here's a short video, courtesy of Marie Servagnat, to show you how it works
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9ep6g_duvalleroy-maestro_webcam
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