Abstract
A simple glass of champagne or sparkling wine may seem like the acme of frivolity to most of people, but in fact it may rather be considered as a fantastic playground for any fluid physicist or physicochemist. In this tutorial review, some recent investigations on ascending bubble driven flow patterns found in various champagne glasses, and their impact on gaseous carbon dioxide and ethanol release under standard tasting conditions, are reported. Ascending bubble driven flow patterns found in the bulk of various glasses were evidenced, through laser tomography techniques, which illustrate the fine interplay between ascending bubbles and the fluid around. Moreover, spontaneous and self-organised two-dimensional convective cells were also evidenced at the air/champagne interface. In addition, the simultaneous monitoring of gaseous CO2 and ethanol in the headspace of both a flute and coupe filled with champagne was reported, depending on whether or not the glass shows effervescence. Both gaseous CO2 and ethanol were found to be enhanced by the presence of ascending bubbles, thus confirming the close link between ascending bubbles, ascending bubble driven flow patterns, and the release of gaseous CO2 and volatile organic compounds.
Thanks are due to the Europôl’Agro Institute and to the Association Recherche Oenologie Champagne Université for financial support, and to champagne Pommery for regularly supplying us with various champagne samples. Authors are also indebted to the Région Champagne-Ardenne, the Ville de Reims and the Conseil Général de la Marne for supporting our research.