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Liger-Belair G, Cilindre C, Beaumont F, Polidori G. Understanding the tasting of champagne and other sparkling wines from a scientific perspective. Food Res Int 2024; 191:114678. [PMID: 39059939 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
From uncorking the bottle to the bursting of bubbles in the glass, the science behind the tasting of champagne and other sparkling wine is both traditional and at the forefront of modern developments. The strong interaction between the various parameters at play in a bottle and in a glass of sparkling wine has been the subject of study for around two decades. Indeed, sparkling wine tasting is often seen as the pinnacle of glamor and frivolity for most people, but it should also be considered as a fantastic playground for chemists and physicists to explore the subtle science behind this centuries-old drink, whose prestige today goes well beyond the borders of Champagne and France. This article offers an overview of the physicochemical processes that mark a tasting of champagne or sparkling wine in the broad sense, from the cork popping out of the bottleneck to the formation and bursting of bubbles in your glass, including the choice of the glass and how to serve and drink the wine correctly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clara Cilindre
- Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, CNRS, GSMA, Reims, France
| | - Fabien Beaumont
- Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, ITHEMM, Reims, France
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Liger-Belair G, Cilindre C. Recent Progress in the Analytical Chemistry of Champagne and Sparkling Wines. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (PALO ALTO, CALIF.) 2021; 14:21-46. [PMID: 34014763 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anchem-061318-115018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The strong interplay between the various parameters at play in a bottle and in a glass of champagne or sparkling wine has been the subject of study for about two decades. After a brief overview of the history of champagne and sparkling wines, this article presents the key steps involved in the traditional method leading to the production of premium modern-day sparkling wines, with a specific focus on quantification of the dissolved CO2 found in the sealed bottles and in a glass. Moreover, a review of the literature on the various chemical and instrumental approaches used in the analysis of dissolved and gaseous CO2, effervescence, foam, and volatile organic compounds is reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gérard Liger-Belair
- Equipe Effervescence Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Atmosphérique (GSMA), CNRS UMR 7331, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, BP 1039, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, 51687 Reims CEDEX 2, France; ,
| | - Clara Cilindre
- Equipe Effervescence Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Atmosphérique (GSMA), CNRS UMR 7331, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, BP 1039, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, 51687 Reims CEDEX 2, France; ,
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Moriaux AL, Vallon R, Lecasse F, Chauvin N, Parvitte B, Zéninari V, Liger-Belair G, Cilindre C. How Does Gas-Phase CO 2 Evolve in the Headspace of Champagne Glasses? JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:2262-2270. [PMID: 33560838 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c02958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The chemical space perceived by a consumer of champagne or other sparkling wines is progressively modified all along tasting. Real-time monitoring of gas-phase CO2 concentration was performed, through a CO2-diode laser sensor, along a two-dimensional array of nine points in the headspace of three types of glasses poured with champagne. Two original glasses with distinct headspace volumes were compared with the standard INAO tasting glass. For each of the three glass types, a kind of temperature-dependent CO2 fingerprint was revealed and discussed as a function of the glass geometry and headspace volume. Moreover, a simple model was developed, which considers the rate of decrease of the concentration of gas-phase CO2 in the headspace of a glass after the pouring process as being mainly ruled by natural air convection in ambient air. The timescale which controls the rate of decrease of gas-phase CO2 was found to highly depend on the ratio of the headspace volume to the open aperture of the glass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Laure Moriaux
- Equipe Effervescence, Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Applications (GSMA), UMR CNRS 7331, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France
| | - Raphaël Vallon
- Equipe Effervescence, Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Applications (GSMA), UMR CNRS 7331, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France
| | - Florian Lecasse
- Equipe Effervescence, Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Applications (GSMA), UMR CNRS 7331, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France
| | - Nicolas Chauvin
- Equipe Effervescence, Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Applications (GSMA), UMR CNRS 7331, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France
| | - Bertrand Parvitte
- Equipe Effervescence, Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Applications (GSMA), UMR CNRS 7331, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France
| | - Virginie Zéninari
- Equipe Effervescence, Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Applications (GSMA), UMR CNRS 7331, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France
| | - Gérard Liger-Belair
- Equipe Effervescence, Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Applications (GSMA), UMR CNRS 7331, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France
| | - Clara Cilindre
- Equipe Effervescence, Champagne et Applications, Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Applications (GSMA), UMR CNRS 7331, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 Reims Cedex 2, France
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