The Art Of Champagne

We Americans might call it "Champagne For Dummies," but leave it to the French to class up what's pretty much a simplified guide to the Dos and Don'ts of bubbly. The newly debuted Champagnes Protocoles de G.H. Mumm includes 100 rules of conduct for all things Champagne-related, presented alongside a stylized and witty series of illustrations by the Israeli artist Noma Bar.

G.H. Mumm's first three chapters of champagne protocol cover the basics.

Noma Bar's clean illustrations get the point across, simply and stylishly.

An illustrated guide to sabering.

Other means of opening a bottle with flair: the saber technique sans sword.

Screen shots from the free app, available on iPhone.

To freshen up its delivery of etiquette and savoir faire without the fussy attitude, the 185-year-old French Champagne house enlisted Bar to encapsulate the protocols in 12 chapters, ranging from how to choose the right type of bubbly for any occasion to opening one's bottle with a saber (and for the most practiced show off, there's even sabreless sabring). [You can also watch Food Republic's Matt Rodbard saber a bottle of Champagne here, albeit less elegantly.]

The first four chapters comprosing protocols 1-38 are currently available online and on iPhones, with the next chapters rolling out on a monthly basis, starting in June.