The secret to champagne’s perfect pop

♦ The perfect champagne cork pop is achieved by plunging bubbly into an ice bucket for 40 minutes, a mathematician has deduced.

Dr Eugenia Cheng, of Sheffield University, discovered the pop must have a frequency between 8,000Hz to 12,000Hz – the range, known as the “brilliance” pitch, that most appeals to humans. To achieve that, bottles must be chilled to 44F (6.7C), slightly colder than a fridge.