The Mushroom Myth

People are always intrigued by the mushroom-shaped cork of Champagne, or in general sparkling wine. As a matter of fact, all wine corks started as cylinder-shaped, including Champagne. But for Champagne, the lower part of the cork is first compressed to fit into the bottle neck. The inserted section will start expanding (absorbing carbon dioxide) to maintain a constant pressure against the bottle neck, preventing the gas from escaping. Hence, you can compare the ages of the different Champagnes from the shape of cork. The more “mushroom-like”, the longer is has been aged.