Optical methods for the study of the stability of champagne bubbles

A fine bubble collar is a champagne quality factor determined mainly by the stability of the bubbles arriving at the air/champagne interface. The effects of viticultural and oenological factors on this stability are neither understood nor controlled. Nevertheless, wine macromolecules are involved in the formation of the adsorption layer at the gas/champagne interface, in the stability of the liquid film bounding each bubble, in the interactions between bubbles and finally in the extent of the collar. In this context, this article describes optical methods for characterizing the adsorption layer formed at the champagne/air interface.