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Have you ever sipped a glass of Champagne and thought to yourself, “man, I’d really enjoy this more if I knew exactly how many bubbles were in this bottle.” No? Well, I bet after reading that sentence you’ll wonder about it next time.
Luckily, scientists won’t leave you hanging, because they know precisely how many bubbles are in a bottle of Champagne!
In 2014, researcher Gérard Liger-Belair published his research aptly titled, “How Many Bubbles in Your Glass of Bubbly?". According to the findings, there are far fewer bubbles in a glass of Champagne than scientists previously thought.
You see, up until this research, there had been a common misconception that a glass of Champagne likely had about 15 million bubbles in it.
So, why do Champagne bubbles flow straight? According to the team, Champagne and sparkling wines have a special ingredient that “acts as soap-like compounds” called surfactants. These surfactant-like molecules “help reduce the tensions between the liquid and the gas bubbles providing them with a smooth ride from the bottom to the top of the glass.
The theory is that in Champagne, these contaminants that act as surfactants are the good stuff. These protein molecules that give flavor and uniqueness to the liquid are what makes the bubbles chains they produce stable.
So, there you have it. You now have plenty of fun facts to share at your next dinner party. Go forth and spread the word and toast to science while you’re at it.