With loud cheering and a cheerful pop, the cork pops out of the bottle and then drills into the ceiling at a rapid pace. A dent in the plasterwork remains as a permanent reminder of a great party. But a flying champagne cork can be dazzling, warns the largest association of ophthalmologists in the world, American Academy of Opthamology, in 2023. How big is the danger of the champagne cork really?
A champagne cork shoots past a car
The bubbles in your bottle of champagne build up as much as six bar of pressure behind the cork, three times as high as the pressure in a car tire. With this push it will easily fly into the air at eighty kilometers per hour, especially if you shake it again before popping the bottle. You can do it at that speed a well-aimed champagne cork travels a record distance of more than fifty-four meters. And yes, it is of course not nice if you get that in your eye.
Into the hospital thanks to victory potion
Cyclist Biniam Girmay can speak to that. He had to retire from the Giro d’Italia in 2022 after the cork from his victory bubbles hit his eye. He was admitted to hospital due to a bleeding in his eye. A bad idea, but the chance of this happening to you is extremely small. In an older study from 2004 from the University of Alabama (USA) almost thirteen thousand eye injuries from three countries were listed. There were only ninety corking accidents. Still a better chance than winning the lottery, by the way. This had serious consequences for the few unlucky ones who literally looked a little too deeply into the bottle of champagne. A quarter of them remained blind in the injured eye.
Uncorking champagne: that’s how it goes
Fortunately, you can prevent these types of injuries by opening a bottle of champagne properly. The loud bang with splashing foam looks nice on the podium of a car circuit, but… You officially open champagne with a controlled pop, or a breath. To make controlled opening easier, it is best to choose a chilled and large bottle, because the pressure is lower. With one hand securely on the cork, gently wiggle the cork free with your other hand. This way you won’t shoot any eyes out. And although it looks less spectacular than when the foam is swirling around the room, there is more champagne left to enjoy this way.
What about the other alcoholic refreshments at your party? For example, can you still drink expired beer? And should you choose beer first or wine first to avoid the sting?
2023-12-28 18:22:24
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