Champagne Stopper

What do you do why you can't finish a whole bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine and yet don't want to pour it out? You can't just put it back in the fridge and let it go flat. Vacu Vin won't work on Champagne bottles. Even if you could get the cork back in the bottle, doing so would be positively stupid. And it's an old wives' tale that putting a sterling silver spoon in the neck will keep it fresh. Not to worry! The wine accouterments industry has come to the rescue once again. The contraption shown to the right has a rubber stopper that fits into the neck of the bottle and two hinged metal brackets that have ledges that fit under the ridge of the neck and hold the stopper in place. The one pictured is manufactured by Pedrini, but there are many similar things on the market, all for $7 to $12 or so. It works pretty well for a day or two. It won't keep an opened bottle fresh for weeks, but nothing could. If you ever buy Champagne or sparkling wine for anything other than just parties, you should buy one.