Research reveals key to saving champagne from climate change

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Bigger bottles hold the key to saving champagne from climate change, according to new research.

France's famous fizz is facing growing competition from British wine producers because of global warming.

Now a study has found it can remain drinkable for 132 years when kept in 3-liter jeroboams - four times the standard.

Large sealed containers preserve bubbles better than smaller vessels, say scientists.

The maximum shelf life for a magnum (1.5L) is around 82 years - while the standard size of 25 fluid ounces manages only four decades.

Lead author Professor Gerard Liger-Belair, of the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, said: "By this time the champagne would be flat.

"The drink’s bubbliness over time depends on the bottle's size."

The discovery could boost vintages as fizz also boosts flavor.

Part of the enjoyment is the bubbles that form when the beverage is poured. The bite of carbonation provides drinkers with a sensory experience.

Liger-Belair said: "Champagne and other sparkling wines get their bubbliness and tingly sensation from carbon dioxide, which is generated during a second round of fermentation that happens inside their bottles.

"Combining yeasts, sugar and wine launches the production of this gas and additional alcohol.

"Although the yeast die within a few months, complex aromas develop as the bottles age undisturbed for 15 months to several decades.

"But at the same time, the beverage is losing carbon dioxide, which is slowly escaping through the sealed metal caps or corks."

His team measured 13 successive champagne vintages aged up to almost half a century - calculating the original amount of yeast-produced carbon dioxide.

They found that the amount of gas inside the vessels - which were sealed with metal caps - decreased the longer the bottles aged.

For example, the oldest vintage from 1974 lost most of its carbonation - nearly 80 percent.

Additionally, a link was identified between volume and carbon dioxide level such that larger bottles retained gas substantially better than smaller ones.

The first formula of its kind worked out how long-aged champagne would still spontaneously produce bubbles when poured into a glass.

Liger-Belair said: "When it comes to champagne tasting, dissolved CO2 is a key compound responsible for the very much sought-after effervescence in glasses.

"Nevertheless, the slow decrease of dissolved CO2 during prolonged ageing of the most prestigious cuvees raises the issue of how long champagne can age before it becomes unable to form bubbles during tasting.

"Increasing the bottle size is found to tremendously increase its capacity to preserve dissolved CO2 and therefore the bubbling capacity of champagne during tasting.

"For the very first time, a long time-series dataset combined with a multivariable model indicate the bottle size plays a crucial role on the progressive decay of dissolved CO2 experienced by champagne during aging."

It's been predicted rising temperatures over the coming years will see the UK usurp the top wine-producing regions of France.

The country’s northernmost vineyards - including in the Champagne region - are struggling due to rising temperatures with ever-earlier harvests and riper grapes.

Larger bottles such as magnums and jeroboams may slow aging - and retain freshness for longer.

The study is published in the journal ACS Omega.