I agree that the bottles should be relatively stable and sturdy--they  
were designed to be packed moved, and stored. I'd worry about them far  
less than moving vacuum tubes. The only added risk of keeping them  
full is that, if a bottle breaks, the spill can cause additional  
damage. That should be fairly easy to mitigate. The cork will probably  
degrade at some point, but that is a concern for later years.


That said, if you do choose to open them, do so as cool as possible  
and at a 45 degree angle. I'm assuming these are mostly commemorative  
bottles and the research value is mostly in the custom label and the  
clues about cost and quality of the champagne. I'm also assuming a  
desire to maintain as much of the appearance for possible exhibit use.  
My first choice would be to use an X-Acto knife to cut the foil in a  
ring below the wire and then cut along the back side of the cork and  
wire so that you have an undisturbed side that can be replaced for  
display. Use wire cutters or tin snips to open up the wire from the  
back. At this point, open "normally." That should allow future exhibit  
teams to present a good face with minimal signs of damage.

With drilling, you'd want a thin hole through the cork to relieve  
pressure and then a larger hole in the bottom to drain and clean the  
bottle interior. That seems too much risk for too little benefit.  
Drilling into glass with the contents under pressure risks shattering  
while the cork is relatively elastic. I wouldn't even get near this  
approach without a face shield and gloves, wrapping and padding the  
bottle, a sturdy long-sleeved shirt, and an experimental run with  
bottles not in the collection.

- Paul
(realizing that working in a science museum long enough attunes you to  
the phrase "risking a sudden explosion")


On Jun 26, 2008, at 7:19 AM, Sabrina Henneman wrote:

> I do believe that when the champagne is chilled to the proper
> temperature (not regular storage temps), the CO2 won't froth out. I
> think that is how the professionals uncork to get the yeast plug out  
> of
> some varieties during the aging process (if I remember a history  
> channel
> special on champagne correctly). Contacting a quality champagne  
> vintner
> would probably verify this. However, I don't really see why the
> champagne can't stay in the bottle forever. If you store it properly,
> the cork will keep and the contents should be fine for long term
> storage.
>
> Sabrina
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Karen Kroslowitz
> Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 8:04 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [MUSEUM-L] emptying champagne bottles
>
> Please pardon the cross-posting to RCAAM members.
>
> The Computer History Museum is moving its collection offsite. In the
> interest
> of safely packing, moving and storing champagne bottles, we'd like to
> empty
> them while doing our best to preserve the labels, foil seal, wire and
> cork as
> best as possible. OK, OK, aside from the usual jokes of just pouring  
> it
> out into
> lightly chilled glasses on a Friday afternoon, we'd seriously like to
> know if
> anyone else out there has had to empty champagne bottles for long-term
> storage and what technique you employed. One thought would be to use a
> small hand drill to slowly release the pressure/gases, but we're not
> confident
> that's possible without risking a sudden explosion of sort not to
> mention a
> huge mess. Any recommendations or suggestions?
>
> Karen
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> Karen Kroslowitz, Collection Move Coordinator
> Computer History Museum
> 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.
> Mountain View, CA 94043
> V: 408-586-9796 (Mon & Tue)
> V: 650-810-1895 (Wed - Fri)
> F: 650-810-1055
> E: [log in to unmask]
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>
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