Scientists have figured out why the bubbles in champagne and sparkling wine float vertically upwards in double rows. Brown University reports.
Many popular beverages, including beer, cola, and sparkling wine, are infused with carbon dioxide to enhance flavor. This gas can come out of the water in the form of bubbles, but, as a rule, it happens in a chaotic manner. In the case of champagne, as a rule, the flow of gas bubbles looks like smooth continuous threads.
Roberto Zenit and his colleagues decided to reveal the hydromechanical nature of this phenomenon. To do this, the authors performed a series of physical experiments, including filling a small rectangular plexiglass container with liquid and inserting a needle into the bottom to supply gas to form various chains of bubbles. The researchers then gradually added surfactants or increased the size of the bubbles. They found that as the bubbles increased in size, their chains became stable even without surfactant. Conversely, surfactants can stabilize the flow without changing the size.
From this, the authors conclude that it is surfactants produced during fermentation and aging that give champagne such physical properties. Its molecules help reduce the surface tension between liquid and gas bubbles, providing a gentle rise to the top.
“The theory is that in champagne these impurities that act like surfactants are beneficial,” the authors write. “These protein molecules, which give the liquid its flavor and uniqueness, stabilize the bubble chains.”
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