Sparkling Beverages
Champagne and Beyond
- 1st Edition - September 25, 2025
- Latest edition
- Author: Gérard Liger-Belair
- Language: English
Sparkling Beverages: Champagne and Beyond offers a complete overview of the physicochemical processes at work in a sparkling beverage. In order to achieve effervescence in a glass… Read more
Sparkling Beverages: Champagne and Beyond offers a complete overview of the physicochemical processes at work in a sparkling beverage. In order to achieve effervescence in a glass of champagne, precise knowledge fluid dynamics and CO2 solubility are necessary. This reference covers these concepts, as well as historical contexts and modern-day production methods of simple sparkling waters and sugar-free sparkling soft drinks to more complex alcoholic beverages, such as beers or sparkling wines. The book breaks down the science behind the fizz in our drinks while also examining sensory experiences associated with opening, smelling, and testing sparkling beverages.
Written by a true expert on the topic and complete with beautiful, original photography, this unique, interdisciplinary work will interest researchers and industry producers alike.
Written by a true expert on the topic and complete with beautiful, original photography, this unique, interdisciplinary work will interest researchers and industry producers alike.
- Summarizes the latest scientific advances in sparkling beverages, with a special focus on champagne and sparkling wines
- Comprehensively covers the sensory science of champagne, an iconic sparkling drink recognized worldwide, from uncorking the bottle to the action of the bubbles bursting in glasses
- Discusses the mechanisms of CO2 solubility and resulting bubble dynamics
Academics in food and beverage science, oenology, sensory science, and chemical physics
Part 1. Introduction
Part 2. Carbon dioxide, a key ingredient in sparkling beverages
1. A few words about CO2 solubility and carbonation levels
2. CO2 Henry’s constants in sugar and water-ethanol solutions
2.1. Sparkling waters and sugar-free soft drinks
2.2. Sugar sparkling soft drinks
2.3. Sparkling alcoholic beverages
2.3.1. Beers
2.3.2. Sparkling wines
Part 3. Champagne and sparkling wines
3. History of Champagne and Sparkling Wines
4. From harvest to the sealed bottle: the Méthode traditionnelle in a few key steps
4.1. A first alcoholic fermentation
4.2. The art of blending
4.3. The prise de mousse: a second alcoholic fermentation in sealed bottles
4.4. Aging, riddling, and disgorging
4.5. The impact of prolonged aging
4.6. Toward the shelf-life prediction of corked bottles of sparkling wines
5. From uncorking the bottle to the bursting of bubbles in the glass
6. The cork popping revisited through high-speed imaging
7. The action of pouring champagne in a glass: A key step for CO2
8. An energy barrier to overcome for CO2 bubble nucleation
8.1. Natural bubble nucleation
8.2. Artificial bubble nucleation from laser-etched glasses
8.3. A critical CO2 concentration for bubbling, and the issue of prolonged aging
9. Ascending bubble dynamics
9.1. Bubble velocity and bubble growth
9.2. Which parameters impact the bubble size in sparkling wines?
10. Flute versus coupe: Is there an ideal glass to drink champagne?
11. Unveiling ascending bubble-driven flow patterns in glasses
11.1. Laser tomography and PIV experiments
11.2. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations
12. Bursting bubbles provide an aromatic boost to sparkling wines
Part 2. Carbon dioxide, a key ingredient in sparkling beverages
1. A few words about CO2 solubility and carbonation levels
2. CO2 Henry’s constants in sugar and water-ethanol solutions
2.1. Sparkling waters and sugar-free soft drinks
2.2. Sugar sparkling soft drinks
2.3. Sparkling alcoholic beverages
2.3.1. Beers
2.3.2. Sparkling wines
Part 3. Champagne and sparkling wines
3. History of Champagne and Sparkling Wines
4. From harvest to the sealed bottle: the Méthode traditionnelle in a few key steps
4.1. A first alcoholic fermentation
4.2. The art of blending
4.3. The prise de mousse: a second alcoholic fermentation in sealed bottles
4.4. Aging, riddling, and disgorging
4.5. The impact of prolonged aging
4.6. Toward the shelf-life prediction of corked bottles of sparkling wines
5. From uncorking the bottle to the bursting of bubbles in the glass
6. The cork popping revisited through high-speed imaging
7. The action of pouring champagne in a glass: A key step for CO2
8. An energy barrier to overcome for CO2 bubble nucleation
8.1. Natural bubble nucleation
8.2. Artificial bubble nucleation from laser-etched glasses
8.3. A critical CO2 concentration for bubbling, and the issue of prolonged aging
9. Ascending bubble dynamics
9.1. Bubble velocity and bubble growth
9.2. Which parameters impact the bubble size in sparkling wines?
10. Flute versus coupe: Is there an ideal glass to drink champagne?
11. Unveiling ascending bubble-driven flow patterns in glasses
11.1. Laser tomography and PIV experiments
11.2. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations
12. Bursting bubbles provide an aromatic boost to sparkling wines
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: September 25, 2025
- Language: English
GL
Gérard Liger-Belair
Gérard Liger-Belair is Full Professor of chemical physics at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France. He is the author of over 200 scientific and technical articles on effervescence in champagne and other sparkling beverages. In addition to his academic achievements, he is the recipient of several national and international awards, and for the past twenty years he has collaborated with food companies such as Coca-Cola, Moët & Chandon, Mumm Perrier Jouët, Vranken Pommery, Danone, Diageo, and inBev. He has shared his knowledge about bubbles with a wider audience through his microphotography exhibitions, several Radio and TV shows, and in popular science magazines.
Affiliations and expertise
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, FranceRead Sparkling Beverages on ScienceDirect