What's the deal with champagne, why is it soooooo fizzy?

Champagne & sparkling wines are fizzy due to CO2. There are several ways winemakers use to make a wine sparkle. One way is by carbonation. This way is often called the "bicylce pump" or "soda pop" method because CO2 is added into the wine by injection from a cylinder. This injection adds bubbles to a wine that at one time was 'bubble less'. This is the least expensive way to make a sparkiling wine and the bubbles are large and disappear quickly. Even though these wines may be very tasty and we may enjoy them, wines with claims to quality do not use this method. It is actually illegal for authentic Champagne to use this method. sparkling wines like Andre' use this method and many other sparkling wines under $15 retail employ this method.

Another method used to make Champagne and sparkling wine sparkle is by making the wine in a method called Tank Method. Most of the sparkling wines are made by this method. This method is also know by the terms cuve close, or Charmant. This method produces large uneven bubbles that do not last as long as those methods listed below. In this case, the second fermentation takes place in a sealed tank not within the bottle. In laymans terms; if you can emagine a bowl filled with fermenting liquid it would bubbling. Every once in a while a bubble would actually burst splattering liquid on the counter top. This bubbling action is CO2. If we were to seal this bowl with a lid this is a small scale simulation to the Tank Method. The sparkling wine would then be transfered into bottles (please note that this is a simplified version of the Tank Method).

Two other methods of achiving CO2 in sparkling wines & Champagne is called the Transfer Method or Traditional Method. With these two methods second fermentation occurs within the bottle you purchase from your wine shop.

Long story short, the reason why Champagne is soooooo fizzy is C02. The reason why a traditional wine cork would not work in your newly opend bottle is pressure.

You can however pick up "champagne sealers" from grocery, housewear stores, wine & liquor stores that have a rubber seal and a clamp in order to keep the fizz inside the wine. The cost anywhere from $2.99 up to $80 for the Dom Perignon sealer that only works on Dom Perignon bottles.

Cheers!

Champagne is fizzy because it has carbon dioxide gas dissolved in it, just like soda pop. The corks on champagne are larger at the base than those for regular wine, and they also have wire over them to help keep them from being pushed out. The stopper you are putting in is being pushed out by the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas from inside the bottle. I have seen some stoppers designed for champagne that have little grippers on the outside that clamp over the neck of the bottle.

The stopper will help, but spoon? Don't think so. they have little cylinders of CO/2 that puts some pressure back in the bottle. That's the best way to keep it fizzy.

Sandiegow hit the nail right on the head. Great answer.

Pressurized carbonation !