image: This is an infrared imaging of gaseous CO2 desorbing when pouring champagne into both glass types. view more
Credit: Liger-Belair G, Bourget M, Pron H, Polidori G, Cilindre C (2012) Monitoring Gaseous CO2 and Ethanol above Champagne Glasses: Flute versus Coupe, and the Role of Temperature. <i>PLoS ONE</i> 7(2): e30628. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030628 University of Reims, France
Champagne just isn't champagne without its bubbles, and a study highlights the effects that champagne glass shape and temperature can have on carbonation upon serving and the drinking experience. The full report is published Feb. 8 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.
The researchers, led by Gerard Liger-Belair (GSMA), Guillaume Polidori (GRESPI) and Clara Cilindre (URVVC) of the University of Reims in France, studied the gaseous carbon dioxide and ethanol in the space above the champagne surface after it is poured into either a tall, narrow flute or a wide, shallow coupe. They found a much higher concentration of the gas above the flute than the coupe, which partly accounts for the very different drinking experiences from the two glasses.
These results were also visualized by infrared thermography, which provided images of the gas escaping from the champagne surface. The authors also determined that, surprisingly, decreasing the champagne temperature did not affect the level of carbon dioxide gas above the flute.
These results "might be a precious resource to depict champagne consumer's sensation according to various tasting conditions", says Dr. Cilindre.
Citation: Liger-Belair G, Bourget M, Pron H, Polidori G, Cilindre C (2012) Monitoring Gaseous CO2 and Ethanol above Champagne Glasses: Flute versus Coupe, and the Role of Temperature. PLoS ONE 7(2): e30628. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030628
Financial Disclosure: The authors express their gratitude to the Association Recherche Oenologie Champagne et Universite´ (Reims, France) for financial support. The authors are also indebted to the Re´gion Champagne-Ardenne, the Ville de Reims, and the Conseil Ge´ne´ ral de la Marne for supporting their research. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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