Applied Fizzics Field Notes

In this edition of Field Notes, we come back to our discussion of Champagne glassware. In particular, we re-examine the “80/20 rule,” the assertion that 80% of the CO₂ in a glass of Champagne is lost through molecular diffusion at the surface, and only 20% is lost through visible bubbles. Not so fast, our readers said. We then turn to a discussion of the effect of temperature on the solubility of CO₂. We present an interactive molecular simulator that allows the reader to investigate this dependency interactively.

In Field Notes #2, we discussed the fact that roughly 80% of CO₂ loss is from molecular diffusion at the surface of the Champagne, and only 20% from visible bubbles. So if your goal in your choice of Champagne glassware is to conserve the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide to the greatest extent possible, the tall flute is the clear choice. But there are other considerations that are just as important.

In Edition 2 of Applied Fizzics Field Notes, we're going to talk about three things: 1) How most of the dissolved carbon dioxide in Champagin quietly escapes by diffusing directly across the surface of the wine into the surrounding air, not through visible bubbles; 2) Why wetting a glass helps prevent foaming when pouring Champagne; and 3) Why a shaken bottle of open Champagne foams uncontrollably. Hint: It's not what you think.

Evan Wallace is a former physics professor from the University of Maine. He left academe in the 1990s and soon thereafter started Perlage Systems (later Applied Fizzics). An academic at heart, Wallace has now decided to turn Applied Fizzics into a physics classroom. Wallace feels that Applied Fizzics has given him the opportunity to share interesting ideas with thousands of people who enjoy asking "Why?" as much as he does. In this edition, he'll answer a deceptively simple question: Why do Champagne bubbles always come from the same few spots in the glass?