Technique to restore bubbles to a stale champagne. All you need is a simple raisin!
Champagne is synonymous with celebration! The stars of the Christmas and New Year' s aperitifs invite themselves to our table. Whether as an aperitif or with dessert, champagne (and its sparkling waltz) always makes an impact. Let's first go back to the origin of these bubbles, which are actually composed of CO2 (carbon dioxide). They are the result of the reaction, the result of the fermentation that takes place in the center of the closed bottle. Under the action of the yeast, the sugar is transformed into alcohol. The gas condenses both in the liquid and in the space under the lid. The carbon dioxide cannot escape, the pressure on the bottle increases... that's how the cork manages to pop when you open it. When the bottle is closed, the air bubbles are almost invisible. It is only when the champagne is poured into the glass that the balls rise to the surface and release its aroma. Gérard Liger-Belair, a professor specializing in the physical chemistry of liquid effervescence, has champagne as his research subject. He proved that air bubbles are created by tiny defects, impurities and small dust attached to the surface of the glass.
Resurrection bubbles
Like any carbonated drink, champagne loses its bubbles once the bottle is opened. Tasting stale nectar is not the most pleasant experience. To solve this problem, Real Simple provides a simple trick. All you have to do is put the raisins in the bottle with the remaining champagne. After a few minutes, the carbon dioxide will build up around the raisins and you should see bubbles rise to the surface. All that's left to do is to serve this champagne base adorned with new bubbles. This trick works if the champagne is only opened for a few hours. It's enough to refresh our vacation drinks.
As for the legend of putting a small spoon around the neck to retain the air bubbles... unfortunately, it is false, scientific report etc. In 1995, a group of scientists from the Centre Interprofessionnel du Champagne wine conducted a study. They partially emptied twelve bottles. Three remained open. A small silver spoon was placed on the neck of the other three. The other three are closed with sealing caps. Finally, the last three were closed with caps. result? "As the decrease ineffervescence was accompanied by a decrease in liquid [...] the researchers then evaluated the weight loss of each bottle up to 72 hours after the start of the experiment. Bad surprise: the loss was the same with or without the spoon". And to specify: "The small spoons did not bring any improvement in the conservation of the bubbles. On the other hand, the wines in corked bottles presented excellent effervescent results"