The Awe-Inspiring Champagne Tower

Want to impress your friends?  Pull one of these off at your next event!

Sometimes it pays off to go big!  In this case we are referring to the almost always heard of, yet rarely seen Champagne Tower.  What looks challenging and messy endeavor is actually easier than you might think and definitely will “wow” your crowd.  You don’t have to be the Great Gatsby to pull off this trick!

Step 1:

First and foremost, you want to make sure that you have a level, sturdy and secure area for assembling your champagne tower.  The worst thing that could happen is placing your glasses on an uneven table and having them collapse over before the show even begins.  Also, keep in mind that you want your display in an area where everyone can see the show but also that no one is going to bump into your table and create the biggest mess of your life.

If the table you plan to assemble on is not perfectly level with the ground that it’s on, then the champagne will not evenly flow to all of the glasses on the table.  Make sure you get yourself a good level and check your table for perfection before you begin assembling your champagne glasses.

Step 2:

Just as having a steady and even table, using the proper champagne glass is key.  You always want to use what is referred to as a “Coupe” Champagne Glass.  I personally love these glasses for parties anyways because they have that nostalgic 1930s vibe. They should be identical in shape and size--so it is important to make sure that while purchasing glasses, you buy the same glass from the same vendor.  The other option would be to rent the glasses, which you can do through most party rental places (such as One Stop Event Rentals).

Step 3:

Building the tower itself is relatively easy, with the proper Coupe Champagne Glasses and a steady hand, you’ll be good to go!  The tower will be built by layers of squares, if you will, with the layers getting smaller and smaller as you ascend upwards.  For example, if the bottom layer of glasses you assemble contains 12 glasses, you’ll be making a 6x6 square out of glasses, so then the layer above the base will be a 5x5 glasses, and then 4x4 glasses and so on until you reach the top where a single glass will be placed.

When placing a new layer on top of a built layer, you want to place each new glass at the diamond shape between the four glasses below it.  This will ensure that any champagne that is poured from the top flows down to the bottom glasses.  One key element to building a champagne tower is to make sure that all of the glasses are touching one another in each layer; otherwise the champagne you pour will not hit all of the glasses on the table.

Step 4:

Now that you are all prepped in how to build your tower, it’s time to take a second to look at your options for champagne/sparkling wine.  Here are some of my suggestions for bubbles that you can feature at your event:

·  Alexandre Monmousseau Gaudrelle Cremant Rose (Vouvray, France) – If you really want to shock and impress your friends, try pouring this sparkling rose option from Loire Valley.  This wine starts off with pronounced strawberry and raspberry flavors and finishes dry with a hint of cranberry.  And it’s pink!  Who doesn’t love pink?

·       Vueve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut (Champagne, France) – I love Vueve Clicquot because it’s not terribly expensive but has a great rapport and a renowned elegance that will impress your friends.  It is perfectly balanced with a vibrant acidity that is definitely a crowd pleaser.

·       Perrier Jouet La Flure (Champagne, France) – Now this one is definitely on the more expensive side but if you’re mission is to amaze, this is the champagne for you.It exudes elegance and the bottles themselves will be a show stopper.  It’s crisp and clean on the palate with floral and fruit flavor, as well as aroma. 

The amount of champagne you look to buy will be dependent upon the height of your champagne tower and the number of guests you are looking to serve. If you are only planning on serving one glass of champagne per person, then you can at least count on having a little bit more than four glasses (at 5oz) each per bottle.  I would always suggest purchasing an extra bottle or two more than you would need for the total amount of people your serving, just in case.  It’s always better to have more than less!

Step 5:

Now that you have your champagne tower assembled you can gather your friends and begin the pouring.  You will probably want to get your hands on a small step ladder so that you can pour evenly from the top of the tower.  It’s also a great idea to find a friend to help pour with you to expedite the process.  Have some bottles already chilled, popped and ready to go so that there is no drag in time.  And, as always, make sure you have a good camera in the hands of a friend so that they can record the action!  Check out our video of our champagne tower from one of our weddings this year below: