For those who are worried by the sudden expulsion of both cork and liquid when opening bottles of champagne and sparkling wine, the French wine producer Champagne Leclerc Briant has decided to adopt a new system called Easy Pop. By pulling on a small loop of thread, a minute stopper is removed from a small hole on the neck of the bottle. The gas inside the bottle (under 5kg of pressure) is thus released and the bottle can then be opened normally but without the usual "pop" and rush of champagne. The system is distributed by France's Champ'Innov SA and was developed in a joint project with ANVAR, the French research agency. Market research carried out by Leclerc Briant identified women, elderly people and the young as being potentially attracted by the new system, particularly as it may be considered more practical and safer than the traditional system.
