How to enjoy your flute of sparkling wine

Which kind of champagne glass is better to use: tall flutes or wide, shallow, bowl-shaped glasses?

Flutes are best for serving any kind of sparkling wine. The thin, tapered shape allows the bubbles and bouquet to be released more slowly than in the wide-mouthed, saucer-style glasses.

Here are a few more tips on enjoying sparkling wine. Sparkling wine should always be served chilled, but refrigeration will dull the flavor over time, so place the bottle in the refrigerator just a few hours before serving instead of storing it there. Or place the bottle in a bucket with ice and water, which is the quickest way to chill wine.

To open the bottle, unwrap the foil seal from around the top. Then remove the wire that encases the cork; while you do so, keep one hand over the cork in case it pops out unexpectedly (which it shouldn’t). Keeping one hand over the cork, hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle, pointed away from you, and slowly twist the bottle, not the cork, with your free hand. When the cork begins to lift from the bottle, use your thumb to help it out gently.

Have flutes ready, and always hold the glass by its stem as you pour – and as you sip – so your hand doesn’t warm the wine.

I bought a large piece of thick fabric in a bright print, and I’d like to decorate my wall with it. How should I hang it?

There are several ways to turn fabric into art for your walls. One is to mount the piece to a strip of wood that you can then hang.

First hem the fabric. Then sew a channel into what will be the bottom of the piece, so you can place a dowel inside and it will hang straight. Use upholstery tacks to secure the top of the fabric to a 1-by-4-inch piece of wood cut to the width of the fabric, placing a tack every few inches. Screw several triangular hangers into the back of the wood; hang on nails.

Alternatively, sew a channel at the top of the fabric, and hang it from a drapery rod with finials or from another dowel, using mounting hardware.

Or you can mount the fabric on wooden stretchers, which provide the support for artists’ canvases. At an art-supply store, ask for one that’s at least 21/2 inches smaller than your fabric.

Assemble the frame according to manufacturer’s instructions. Lay the fabric facedown on the floor; center the frame over it. Fold the fabric over the sides of the frame, securing two opposite sides with quarter-inch fabric staples, then affixing the other two sides the same way.

You can also take the fabric to an art-supply store and have it stretched, which will cost about $30 to $70, depending on its size. Hang the artwork from several picture hangers spaced out on the wall.

Another option is to cut a large piece of fabric into several smaller ones, mat and frame them, and then hang them together in one area of the wall.

I have a chest-type freezer where food is stored rather haphazardly and is constantly being forgotten. Do you have any suggestions for organizing it?

Try using plastic crates or clear lidded boxes to divide the space. The boxes stack easily, so they’ll stay neat. Designate the containers to different food categories, such as meat, poultry, vegetables, dairy, stocks, doughs and leftovers, and label them appropriately.

Always label and date your packages of food, too. This will ensure that you use products at their peak and allow you to rearrange items so that the oldest are on top and the newest at the bottom.

Do your best to place smaller packages on top of larger ones. This way, you can see what’s in your freezer, and you won’t have to move that 15-pound turkey to reach your frozen stock.

You might also start a “freezer log”: Keep a small pad in a kitchen drawer, and record the items that you freeze and the dates. Then you can refer to the list when planning a meal instead of rummaging through the freezer itself.

Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036. E-mail slletters@martha stewart.com.

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