Champagne Should be Poured Like Beer - into a Tilted Flute

French physicists at the Université de Reims have studied the best way to pour champagne; their surprising discovery is that it should be poured into a tilted long-stemmed glass rather than into an upright one.  The goal is to retain as much dissolved carbon dioxide as possible in the decanted liquid:
In champagne and sparkling wine tasting, the concentration of dissolved CO2 is a parameter of great importance since it directly impacts the four following sensory properties: (i) the frequency of bubble formation in the glass, (ii) the growth rate of rising bubbles, (iii) the mouth feel, i.e., the mechanical action of collapsing bubbles as well as the chemosensory excitation of nociceptors in the oral cavity (via the conversion of dissolved CO2 to carbonic acid), (iv) and the nose of champagne, i.e., its so-called bouquet...

They used infrared thermography (left illustration) to document the escape of carbon dioxide from the glass, and measured the dissolved carbon dioxide in the champagne (right illustration) over time and at different temperatures.  The results are discussed in their  publication in the ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, where there are detailed photographs of bubble formation and a mathematical analysis of the degassing process.

Link, via Physics Buzz.

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An important consideration is the way in which the bottle is opened (in order to avoid a Formula One-style fountain). The British recommendation is that the cork should be eased gently from the bottle, emitting not a loud 'pop' but the gentle sound of a duchess farting.
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Wow, this is amazing bullshit. Champagne (pronounced cham PAG knee - after the book "Bury My Heart At Cham Pag Knee") is best poured into a slipper, while atop a round fur rug, in front of a fire, while listening to Al Green, with Delta Burke.

You have failed me for the last time, physics.
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Some people would disagree as they use a swizzle-stick to get rid of the bubbles. The main advantage being to avoid bubbles to escape through your throOOOAAT.

And then you have the flat open champagne coupe, modeled after Madame de Pompadour's breast, Louis XV mistress. That's why I'll always prefer coupes rather than flutes ;)
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From what I understand, different beers should be poured differently, and into different glasses. Some Belgian beers should be poured to retain as much carbonation as possible (Bier de Champagne, Tripels; tilt). Other Belgian beers should be poured for a mixture of carbonation and head (Dubbels, Bruins; tilt than vertical). Many lagers and ales are already low carbonation and should be poured to give a decent head and minimize retained carbonation (tilt, then vertical or straight pour). Those of us living in the United States may prefer the tilt for our beers coming off a keg as we do not have standards as to glass size and where to pour to, so too much head on a pint seems like we are being ripped off. Just my $0.02.
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