Don't open the bottle too quickly after purchase. After the residue was removed, the bottles should rest three months in order to allow the liquor to be spread in the bottle. Ask the champagne house always to the date on which the residue was removed. Properly uncorking a bottle is a real ritual. First remove the covering around the cork, and then the capsule. One should rotate the wire of the 'muselet' six times before it can be removed. Incline and turn the bottle while holding the cork. If you want to open a champagne bottle according to the rules of art, do not let it pop. Such a pop leads to a more rapid loss of the carbonic acid, and thus the bubbles. If you feel the cork comes, press it lightly before removing it gradually. The cork will just 'heave a light sigh', which is called in French ‘le soupir érotique’. The bottom of the champagne glass ends at a point, widens upwards and becomes narrower at the top. The tulip glass preserves the aromas and stimulates the formation of pearls. The traditional 'coupe' is not suitable for tasting because the aromas and the bubbles disappear very quickly in such a glass. Do not hesitate to wash off manually. The odours of chlorinated water and the cleaning product in the dishwasher may possibly affect the glass and tasting. Wash the glass in warm water with a little detergent, depending on how dirty the glass is. Rinse thoroughly under running water. To get an excellent result, you can keep the glass over a bowl of boiling water and then polish it. The best way to dry champagne glasses is that old dishtowel, often washed but not rinsed with detergents. A flushing agent leaves a thin film which destroys the bubbles. Do not rub the glass; because of its fine structure it is fragile and will not withstand the pressure. And now we can serve the champagne. This happens in two movements: first fill the glass an inch or so, and then to about three quarters. Take the bottle with your thumb at the bottom of the cavity, and make sure that guests can read the label.  An empty bottle placed upside down in the ice bucket is a true sin. Out of respect for the winemaker put the napkin over the ice bucket, and put the bottle more or less horizontally, with the label facing up.