Champagne- behind the bubbles
Champagne owes much of its allure to its tiny bubbles. Unlike other wines, champagne undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle, during which the yeasts in the wine consume sugars and produce carbon dioxide, which dissolves into the wine. When opened, the carbon dioxide can begin to escape.
Bubbles form in the glass around imperfections, either due to intentional etching of the glass or impurities left behind by cleaning. Once formed, trails of bubbles rise to the surface, swelling as more dissolved carbon dioxide is absorbed into each bubble.
The bubbles then cluster near the surface of the champagne, occasionally popping and creating a flower-like distortion of the surrounding bubbles. The gases within the bubbles contains higher concentrations of aromatic chemicals than the surrounding wine, and the bursting of each bubble propels tiny droplets of these aromatics upwards, carrying the scent of the champagne to the drinker.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2012/05/raising-glass-champagne
I'm pretty sure is the bubbles level Gjermund Gusland Thorsen =)
ReplyDeletePerhaps the extra pressure from the gas slightly increases the rate of binding of the ethanol and/or makes it more staccato. The effect is just a first blush. Hot sake has a similar effect on first draught.
ReplyDeleteSake...blah, not for me. Bubbles and sangria are quite enough =)
ReplyDelete