What is the name of the champagne wire and why is it needed?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

"What is the name of the champagne wire?" - such a question is found in scanwords and modern intellectual TV shows. Only tasters, bartenders or sellers in a liquor store will answer this question. Let's take a closer look at this thing called the Musle.

Need for new technology

The winemakers of Dom Perignon first thought about a device for holding a cork in a bottle in the 17th century, during experiments with the processes of wine fermentation. Later, when the technique of champagne wines improved, there was an urgent need to preserve the original quality of a new type of alcohol - wine saturated with carbon dioxide. The problem was that if in a bottle of table wine the cork is held for the required amount of time, then in sparkling gas the pores of the gas push it out with a characteristic sound.

Inefficient methods

The first bottles of sparkling wines were corked with a piece of wood and wax, but this method did not bring any results. A little later, the idea arose to wrap the cork with a strong rope, more oftenthe design was supplemented with steel wire, which did not arouse the interest of buyers: it was extremely difficult to open a bottle without wire cutters or scissors.

What is the name of the champagne wire

In 1844, French winemaker Adolphe Jaxon received the right to patent an improved design of the muzzle, consisting of steel wire.

Jackson gave the wire on the bottle of champagne a strange name, in French it means "to put on a muzzle". Residents of Russia who do not speak a foreign language perceive this word with notes of a certain charm. If you ask a Russian bartender about the name of a champagne wire, he will romantically answer with a French accent: "musle".

Jackson patented a muzzle and a plaquette (a plate of durable material) that protects dilapidated corks from deformation. Otherwise, if a cut from a metal bridle appears on the cork, then the sealing is broken and the gas from the bottle comes out.

Thanks to this breakthrough, winemakers sold sparkling wines and were confident in the safety of alcohol in the bottle. Even then, popular wine houses and factories tried to give a unique design to collectible alcohol: the muselet plaque became a canvas for talented artists.

Industrial production

In 1855, the Frenchman Nikas Ptizhan invented the first machine for the production of muselets, and in 1880 industrial production began. In 1905, a ring appeared in the design of the frame, with which the need to open the bottle with scissors disappeared.or special tongs. In a classic bottle of champagne, the ring on the muzzle must be turned 6 times.

The producer of the muselet takes on a great responsibility: the safety of sparkling wine or champagne in the bottle depends on the thorough accuracy in the production mechanism. The muzzle is made of high-strength steel wire with a thickness of 0.7-0.8 mm.

The owners of wineries buy muselets for champagne and sparkling wines from trusted suppliers. Most wine houses are equipped with automatic machines that put the frame on the cork and fix the muzzle on the neck of the bottle. For aesthetics, manufacturers cover the top of the bottle with decorative foil.

Wire length

It is widely believed that the standard for the length of the musele (the wire required for manufacturing) is 52 cm. This guess is difficult to confirm or refute. Most likely, only the first production machine needed such a length for the manufacture of the frame. Today, with the advent of new technologies and mechanisms in production, the length of the muzzle varies from 50 to 60 cm.

French legend

In the history of the invention of the Musle there is a legend in which Josephine Clicquot was involved - a woman from high society and the heiress of a dynasty of winemakers. At the next preparation for the tasting of her elite champagne, she noticed that the cork was about to pop out of the bottle and spoil the solemnity of the ceremony. She had no choice but to pull the wire out of the corset and screw the cork to the neck with it.bottles. As it turned out later, the length of the wire was 52 cm, which subsequently turned out to be the reference long muzzle for champagne and sparkling wines.

Plaque for collectors and muselemania

A plaquette is not only a metal cap on a cork that acts as a protection against deformation, but also a collectible:

Winehouses with a high reputation put a unique design on the plaque, sometimes it comes to a whole work of art. Often, collectors of elite alcohol give hundreds of thousands of dollars not for the contents of the bottle, but for what is depicted on a small aluminum part from a muzzle.

Choosing the next theme for design, manufacturers rely on the history of the country, public holidays or significant events. For example, in France, one of the alcohol producers released plaques dedicated to the 600th anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc. By the way, to replenish the collection it is not necessary to buy a bottle of champagne. In Madrid, on Maiori Square, thousands of collectors gather and exchange not only plaques, but also coins, stamps, and precious items.

Albums, catalogs and tablets are issued for collectors of plaques, the price of the latter sometimes reaches tens of thousands of dollars. Not surprising, because only we althy businessmen can afford such an occupation.

Interesting fact: there are people on the planet who not only know the name of champagne wire, but also boast an interesting hobby. The muselet in the hands of craftsmen turns into a decorative item, jewelry or decor item.