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Meghan Holohan
The Latest Research on Champagne Bubbles
by Meghan Holohan - October 14, 2009 - 10:26 AM

Champ11.jpgChampagne makers know that a glass wine bottle, a specially fitted cork and a long fermentation process enable the extra sugars to convert to effervescent bubbles, which is champagne’s trademark. And while many people enjoy champagne for its eruptive opening, champagne aficionados have long suspected the bubbles contained the flavor. French scientists published an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences noting that the bubbles contain 30 times more flavor-enhancing chemicals than the rest of the beverage.

Co-author Gerard Liger-Belair of Reims University in France said his obsession with champagne bubbles led to this research. “As champagne or sparkling wine is poured into a glass, the myriad of ascending bubbles collapse and radiate a multitude of tiny droplets above the free surface into the form of very characteristic and refreshing aerosols,” the researchers wrote in the paper (which is one of the most eloquently written research papers I have read).

Using an ultra-high resolution mass spectrometer, Linger-Belair and his colleagues examined the chemical makeup of the aerosols, which bubble up in champagnes. In every case, the researchers learned that the bubbles had a denser concentration of flavors. He urges drinkers to use champagne flutes when imbibing, as the stemware promotes bubbles.

“It seems that the traditional champagne method ensures that there is a fine stream of bubbles, which, presumably, will give you a more enduring aromatic lift,” Liger-Belair told the BBC.

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Comments (10)

  1. I made the mistake of tasting some Dom Perignon once – now I crave it, but can’t afford it…

    posted by Ranger J on 10-14-2009 at 10:42 am

  2. now I could go for a Mimosa

    posted by Andy on 10-14-2009 at 10:48 am

  3. Mmmm … yeah, Andy, mimosas sound so good right now!

    posted by Dwight on 10-14-2009 at 11:19 am

  4. At this point in the day I’ll even take some Andre…

    posted by Molly on 10-14-2009 at 12:48 pm

  5. Miller High Life, the champagne of bottled beers. NOT!

    posted by kno1 on 10-14-2009 at 1:17 pm

  6. Is there nothing the mass-spectrometer cannot do?

    posted by Dan on 10-14-2009 at 6:17 pm

  7. I weep for my lack of Moet Chandon and can barely make myself remember Dom Perignon without sinking into despair.

    Why am I cursed with good taste and bad finances?

    posted by Cynthia on 10-15-2009 at 9:07 am

  8. Maybe I just haven’t had a good champagne, but I’m not a huge fan of the bubbly. Give me a good ice wine (or ice style since I prefer Virginia wines and the climate doesn’t allow for a true ice wine) and I’m happy as a clam!

    posted by Hastings on 10-15-2009 at 1:06 pm

  9. Yeah, champagne taste on a beer budget really stinks.

    posted by Nerak on 10-15-2009 at 1:12 pm

  10. Try Chandon. It’s Moet/Chandon grown in CA. Or try Gruet grown in NM by a Frenchman. Both will have the uber-tiny bubbles you’re looking for and all the taste, with a realistic price point. Also, Monmousseau…but hard to find.

    posted by dso on 10-17-2009 at 11:57 am

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