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The Science Behind the Bubbly

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the happy-new-years dept.

isabotage3 writes "Here is everything you need to know about champagne in time for New Year's — From how to maximize your bubbles to why bubbles follow certain patterns and then suddenly change to when the time is right to stop studying your bubbly and drink up."

6 of 79 comments (clear)

  1. Too late... by rrohbeck · · Score: 2, Informative

    You should have told us an hour ago. :)
    Over 10 C (50 F) at midnight in northern Germany, FWIW. Yeah I know, just one data point.

    --
    thegodmovie.com - watch it
  2. Costco has good prices on Veuve Clicquot by chevman · · Score: 2, Informative

    Picked up a couple bottles of Veuve Clicquot for $33 each this morning...

  3. Waiting for the obligatory.... by eharvill · · Score: 1, Informative

    ...Wiki link about how "it's all really just sparkling wine unless it's from the Champagne region of France."

    --
    At night I drink myself to sleep and pretend I don't care that you're not here with me
    1. Re:Waiting for the obligatory.... by Anonymous+McCartneyf · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, no, no.
      European champagne is only sparkling white wine unless it's from the Champagne area of France. (Though I understand some European sparkling whites have their own special appelations.)
      American champagne is champagne wherever it's grown. I don't think American champagne even has to contain alcohol.

      --
      There is a fine line between recklessness and courage... -- Paul McCartney
  4. Why America cheats. by Eevee · · Score: 2, Informative

    The US Senate never signed the Treaty of Versailles after WWI, which contained among other things the legal basis for naming wines. So as long as an American winery puts its location on the label, it can use champagne as a generic for sparkling wine.

    I, on the other hand, am trying a sparkling rosé this year just to be different. So there!

  5. Bubbles and cavitation during negative g load by viking80 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Happy New Year.

    As divers know, if you reduce the pressure, bubbles will form. An easy way to do this in a glass of champagne, or beer for that matter, is to toast with your good (or not so good) friend by touching the top of his glass with the bottom of yours.

    The champagne in your glass with be compressed on impact, and no bubbles will form. The glass on the bottom will experience an explosive decompression in the liquid, and instantly foam up with little left to drink to the amusement of the whole party except for the unfortunate one.

    This takes very little force if executed correctly: Both glass and liquid are quite stiff. An impact of 10cm/sec will easily cause a g-load of the bottom glass in the range -2g to -4g. This will of course result in negative pressure in the liquid, and bubbles will form instanty. The liquid will soon be back to normal pressure, and many of the bubbles cavitate, causing additional local pressure waves.

    Happy New Year

    --
    don't cut it off www.mgmbill.org