Why is Champagne bubbly? The science might surprise you

BY TARA MASTROENI

Have you ever wondered what makes champagne bubbly? Sure you have. Our friends at Phys.org  got the scoop.  

One of the scientists told Phys.org, “The greatest theoretical significance of this work is to demonstrate, by extensive comparison with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and viscometry measurements, that the diffusion and viscosity in supersaturated multicomponent liquids such as Champagnes can be investigated at various temperatures by standard molecular dynamics simulations.”

Huh?

Translation: A bunch of scientists wanted an excuse to keep an excessive amount of booze in the lab fridge so they come up with important sounding language to fool the rest of us common folk into thinking this work is serious.

Regardless, we appreciate it. Here’s how it works:

First, yeast and sugar are added to flat wine to start a fermentation process

Once that happens, an excess of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is formed. The CO2 reacts with water an ethanol molecules in the wine to help spread the CO2 throughout the bottle.

GIF via Thrillist

When your pour the champagne, that CO2 gets trapped in the microscopic fibers left in your glass.

Usually, these fibers come from your dish towel. Gross to think about, but, remember, there’s Champagne at the end of this!

Photo via Didriks/Flickr

The CO2 bubbles grow inside of those fibers

Once they outgrow the fiber, they detach and float to the top of your glass for you to enjoy.

GIF via MichelleXOX0/Tumblr

We’re sure that once the researchers completed their experiment, they made sure to “test the theory” several times over. We also heard (not really) that during the scientist’s research, multiple noise complaints were called in to the local police by the laboratory’s neighbors. Something about “an orgy” and “half naked men in lab coats” running around on the lawn yelling “Eureka!”

For science!

GIF via YouQueen/Tumblr

Photo by Didricks/Flickr (CC by 2.0)