Food & Beverage Analysis Thermography Shows why Champagne Should be Poured Differently Ruud Heijsman, FLIR Systems
All over the world champagne is associated with luxury and celebration. Not only is it a symbol of wealth, each year on New Year’s Eve millions of people all over the world pop the cork off a bottle. But up until now the mechanics behind the taste of this special drink remained clouded in mystery. That situation has changed now that researchers are trying to uncover its mysteries. The most recent revelation is that we should reconsider the way we pour this fizzy wine.
All over the world champagne is associated with luxury and celebration. Not only is it a symbol of wealth, each year on New Year’s Eve millions of people all over the world pop the cork off a bottle. But up until now the mechanics behind the taste of this special drink remained clouded in mystery. That situation has changed now that researchers are trying to uncover its mysteries. The most recent revelation is that we should reconsider the way we pour this fizzy wine.
The only real champagne is produced exclusively within the Champagne region of France, from which it takes its name. Fittingly, it is in that region, at the University of Reims, that most of the champagne research is being done. The university’s most recent discovery is that the way champagne is currently poured, causes loss of aroma and thus of taste. The researchers claim that champagne should be served like beer. Thermographic cameras have played a vital part in this recent discovery.
More Bubbles
The fizz in champagne is produced by fermentation. “After the first fermentation, champagne is basically a white wine”, explains Guillaume Polidori, Director of the Thermomechanics Department of GRESPI (the Group for Research in Engineering Science). The GRESPI’s thermomechanics department is one of the world’s leading research institutes studying the effects of heat upon the mechanical properties of materials.
The FLIR SC7000 thermal imaging camera is pointed at a champagne flute standing before a calibrated blackbody.
Researchers used a FLIR SC7000 series thermal imaging camera to visualise
CO2 as it escapes during the pouring of a glass of champagne.
different pouring techniques at different temperatures. They found that
the colder the temperature, the smaller the loss of CO2 during the pouring process, thus presenting the first scientific proof that serving
champagne chilled helps to contain the CO2 – and thus the champagne’s flavour.
The FLIR SC7000 Series is a very flexible open system that can be adapted for any situation possible.
Even more surprising, however, was the result of the comparison between different pouring techniques. They found that the classic way of serving champagne was not very effective at all.
Just like Beer
The researchers compared two different ways of pouring a glass of champagne: the ‘champagne-like’ and the ‘beer-like’ pouring method. The ‘champagne-like’ method consists of holding the glass vertically, allowing the champagne to hit the bottom of the flute. This is currently the prevailing way of serving champagne and sparkling wines in bars, clubs, and restaurants.
Guillaume Polidori,Tthermomechanics Director GRESPI (l) and GRESPI researcher Herve Pron (r).
“When they put the champagne in the bottle”, Guillaume Polidori continues, “They add a mixture of yeast and sugar to start a second fermentation. Fermentation produces CO2 and because the CO2 gas has nowhere to go, it dissolves in the white wine. When the bottle is opened, the dissolved CO2 disperses, thus creating the bubbles in champagne.”
For a long time it was thought that the bubbles in champagne just added to the fizzy sensation in the mouth, perhaps giving it a little acidic bite, without having any further influence on the champagne taste. This assumption was proven to be utterly incorrect as an earlier study (published in 2009 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) showed that
the CO2 contains most of the champagne’s aroma. It has proved that there are up to 30 times more flavour-enhancing chemicals in the bubbles than in the rest of the drink.
With the ‘beer-like’ pouring method, the glass is held aslant; allowing the champagne to flow along the inclined flute wall, and the flute is then tilted to an upright position during the pouring process. This is the method typically used to serve beer.
The researchers tested the CO2 levels before and after pouring for both pouring methods and at three
different temperatures: 4, 12, and 18°C. The results showed that the beer-like pouring method caused
significantly less CO2 loss in comparison to the ‘traditional’ method.
Chilled is Better
This new finding has seriously changed the way experts look at the bubbles in champagne and the researchers of GRESPI wanted to further research this phenomenon. They set out to test
how the way champagne is poured influences the loss of CO2, given the fact that loss of CO2 also means loss of taste. They tested the CO2 contents of champagne before and after the pouring process, using
When champagne is poured in the ‘traditional way’, the contact surface with the air is much larger and there is a great deal more turbulence.
Beer-Like Method Less Turbulent
The beer-like pouring method, where the champagne flowed along the inclined flute wall, was found to be much less turbulent and released less gas than the more traditional pouring method. The ‘champagne-like’ way of serving - pouring the drink vertically so it hit the bottom of the flute - generated a thick head of foam that quickly vertically extends and then progressively collapses during serving.
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