20,000,000 Bubbles Can't Be Wrong: The Science of Champagne

It's that evening again. When the obligatory toasts must be drunk with the customary beverage. 20,000,000 bubbles per glass, according to scientific analysis (which makes you wonder who funded their studies and what the field research conditions were like...) Who started this whole champagne on New Year's Eve thing anyway?

We're not going to answer that because this post is about science, not history. Google the other stuff if you're that interested, dammit.

But anyway, here we are. Champagne is celebratory because of tradition and because of the chemical compounds that contribute to its fizziness, taste, aroma and impact on the average person's performance of basic functions like talking, walking, making sense and remaining upright.

Science also dictates that it be served chilled because it tastes better that way. And, if you open a warm bottle of champagne the chemical reaction may put you in violation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1987. Not really, of course, but it does make the cork pop more violently, endangering anyone in the line of fire or attempting to stifle the recoil with their lap.

So enjoy and think about all the complexity that has gone into making you the sodden mess you are likely to be later this evening. Quiz on the chemistry bits at 7AM tomorrow. JL

Sarah Griffiths reports in the DailyMailOnline:

Bubbles give the tipple its aroma and taste. This is because they pull compounds in the wine with them as they rise. Compound gamma-decalactone makes it smell peachy. Around 600 chemical compounds have been detected in the drink so far.

Andy Brunning, who writes the blog Compound Interest, explained that the drink is unusual among wines because it undergoes two fermentations - one before bottling, and one in the bottle.

Champagne makes its gas naturally during fermentation. During this process, yeast consumes sugars in the grape juice, converting them into ethanol and carbon dioxide, which makes the bubbles. 

Each glass of champagne releases approximately 20 million tiny bubbles, which are created during the fermentation process, when yeast consumes sugars in the grape juice, converting them into ethanol and carbon dioxide. A bottle of champagne typically releases around five litres of gas

Top of the pops! The chemistry of Champagne explained

An average 0.75 litre bottle of champagne contains 7.5 grams of dissolved carbon dioxide, which if allowed to go flat, would release around five litres of the gas. 

This equates to 20 million bubbles in a small glass.

HOW TO POUR CHAMPGANE 

A study published in the American Chemical Society's journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that pouring champagne into a glass at an angle, preserves twice as many bubbles as pouring it into the centre of a glass.

This means that more bubbles are free to explode and release taste and aroma as people drink the tipple, ACS reported.

Another study revealed that champagne tastes different depending on the shape of the glass people drink it out of.

Scientists said that long, tall flutes are the best way to enjoy fizz.

Bubbly poured into a long narrow flute provides more of a nose-tingle than when served in a wide and shallow ‘coupe’, thanks to high levels of carbon dioxide at the top of the glass.

Scientists used sophisticated gas-analysis technology to test the effect of either pouring champagne into a flute or a coupe.

The reason is that much higher levels of carbon dioxide, released by bubbles in the glass, collect at the top of a flute.

Only 20 per cent of the carbon dioxide in champagne escapes from a bottle in the form of bubbles, with the remaining 80 per cent being released through direct diffusion. 

This is when the gas moves from the more concentrated regions to those that are less concentrated.

Studies have shown that the bubbles contribute to the flavour and aroma of champagne, because they pull compounds in the wine with them as they rise.

More than 600 chemical compounds are found in the bubbles of champagne.

‘When they reach the surface and burst, these compounds can be thrown into the air within tiny liquid droplets,’ Mr Brunning wrote.

Scientists have analysed the composition of these exploding droplets under the microscope, to discover a number of chemical compounds in the droplets that give the drink its taste and smell.

For example, gamma-decalactone gives the tipple its fruity, peachy and sweet aroma, while methyl dihydrojasmonate adds floral notes and Dodecanoic acid contributes a metallic tang.

Decanoic acid is responsible for acidic and toasty aromas, while ethyl myristate adds a smell of waxiness, according to Mr Brunning's infographic.

These are just some of the hundreds of components present, some of which have yet to be identified. 

Interestingly, the composition of the droplets differs from the main body of champagne.

‘This is due to the fact that only certain molecules are pulled up to the surface by the bubbles, influencing the droplet composition,’ Mr Brunning added.

A previous study revealed that the warmer a bottle of champagne is, the faster its cork will travel when it's popped. This can range from25mph (40km/h) when the bottle is kept at 4°C up to 34mph (54km/h) when its temperature reaches 18°C

WHY YOU SHOULD CHILL YOUR CHAMPERS: WARM BUBBLY CORKS LAUNCH 36% FASTER AND COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS EYE INJURY 

As well as making it taste better, chilling your champagne this New Year's Eve could save you from a serious eye injury.

Last year, researchers from the Champagne region of France discovered that the warmer a bottle of bubbly, the faster its cork travels when it's popped.

This can range from 25mph (40km/h) when the bottle is kept at 4°C up to 34mph (54km/h) when its temperature reaches 18°C.

The study claims this is caused by gases inside the bubbles moving faster at warmer temperatures, which increases the velocity of the cork.

Almost a fifth of serious eye injuries in 2012 were blamed on flying champagne corks, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

By increasing the temperature, and therefore increasing the speed of a travelling cork by up to 10mph, this reduces the amount of time a person can move out of the way, for example.

Only five per cent of the energy created by these gases causes the movement of the cork, while the rest is released by the bang.

The researchers from the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne studied corks from different temperature champagne bottles popping in slow motion using an infrared camera.

They discovered that champagne bottles contain pressure as high at 90lbs per square inch, which is more than the pressure found inside a car tyre.