Tip: Saving Champagne or Lambrusco

There are times I would enjoy a glass of champagne or wine if only I had a friend over to make opening a bottle worth it, or when I do have a friend over to share the Champagne or wine with -- as non-guzzlers of alcohol -- we enjoy our glass of wine yet don’t finish the bottle. Half a bottle of Champagne or Lambrusco goes flat soon after opening the bottle ... like the next day. 

But wait, in addition to making sangria with leftover wine, there’s an easy, inexpensive solution! It also lets you skip spending $300 for a wine perserver, a devise that pierces only the cork to stop oxidation from spoiling leftover wine.

I figured out how to keep sparkling (or regular) wine just as fresh or bubbly as the day you open it. 

Here’s how:

1) Buy a champagne stopper. Walmart sells them for $3.50. In 2018, I got the Champagne Stopper by MiTBA on Amazon. If it's out of stock, enter the stopper name in a Google search box to see where else to buy them.

2) Save an empty Champagne or Lambrusco bottle to pour leftover and/or regular wine into. This is necessary because regular (non-carbonated) wine bottles do not work with the stoppers. The mouth of a regular wine bottle will not catch.

The MiTBA Champagne Stopper (the brand I use) is a leak-proof bottle sealer featuring a built-in pressure pump designed to keep sparkling wine, prosecco, and champagne carbonated for days. Other stopper brands that look similar to it will likely work as well. Decide if you wish to take the risk.

I have enjoyed leftover Champagne, Lambrusco, and non-carbonated wines 2 -3 weeks after opening a bottle. So now I’m not reluctant to open a bottle to drink a single glass of wine with a cheese platter or a nice dinner. Because you know what? It appears I’ll never be a heavy drinker. When having a glass of wine, I like its taste, but I don’t desire it any more (meaning quantity or frequency) than I desire other treats, like a piece of chocolate, an apple, or a slice of cake. The Champagne Stopper is ideal for cheap dates just like me!

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Happy New Year 2021

On Facebook a post read, "I'm staying up this year to make sure 2020 goes!" In a similar vein, I'll definitely open champagne tonight to welcome 2021. 

It's been a rough two years. First in 2019, my upstairs hookah smoking neighbor burned her apartment up and displaced all of us below her. It took us nearly a year to repair the damage and replace furniture only to be followed in 2020 by a global pandemic that shut down life and killed lots of people. A year like no other! Who could have predicted it?

As difficult as both years were, I still feel lucky compared to past generations who went through tougher times that included famines; diseases without science; and long, drawn-out wars. 

Nobody in my family has COVID yet. In fact, we have a measure of control, food to eat, a developed vaccine, as well as, the warmth and comfort of home to ride this COVID pandemic out. We also have the technology to keep in touch with the family and friends we cannot see. So although we're stressed living in a new normal, we're extremely fortunate.

I don't think life can always be happy ... or easy. But it's certainly not meant to be mostly gloom and doom either! We will have to wear our masks; wash our hands; and avoid large gatherings for a bit longer, probably until next July/August, 2021. And yet, the future looks bright. And it starts right now on the 1st day of the new year!

In the year ahead, let's strive to be positive, embrace happiness, and look out for one another! Thank you for stopping by and supporting THE SAVVY SHOPPER! As always, let me know if there are topics you wish to address.

Wishing all my readers and friends continued safety, security, and a Happy New Year 2021! xoxo💋to all!!

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