Bubbles

Effervescence of wine is the development of bubbles (perlage) after opening a bottle of wine as a result of the release of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a gaseous substance at room temperature, but it is endowed with great ease of dissolution in aqueous solutions, which in fact wine also is. Opening the bottle releases the gas, whose bubbles create the typical froth of these wines. In sparkling and semi-sparkling wines, the carbon dioxide bubbles (also called pérlage) give life to the froth, enhance the aromas and brilliance of color, and reinforce the sensation of freshness on the palate characteristic of these wines. Ideal bubbles are fine, numerous and persistent. They give rise to a fine froth, which is more evanescent in sparkling wines and more persistent in quality sparkling wines, especially those made with the classic method. Deviation from these ideal conditions (more sparse, or coarse, or short-lived bubbles) is a negative factor in the judgment and scoring of the wine under examination. Numerosity, fineness, and persistence of bubbles in wine are due not to pressure, but to the structure of the wine itself. At the lowest level of the structure scale is distilled water. If overdosed in carbon dioxide, it immediately releases all the gas in a tumultuous manner when the overpressure fails. As the substances dissolved in the wine increase and thus as the wine's structure and complexity increase, physical properties such as density, viscosity, and surface tension cause the release of bubbles after the bottle is opened to occur continuously and gradually. Given the same overpressure, a long-aged classic method sparkling wine will have more numerous, fine, and persistent bubbles than a younger, lighter sparkling wine. Quality sparkling wines can be produced by two methods:

Classic Method (traditional, champenoise): used for the production of Champagne and higher quality sparkling wines, involves refermentation of the wine in the bottle.
Charmat (Martinotti) Method: characterized by lower timing and cost, it involves refermentation of the wine in an autoclave.

Metodo Classico is excellent with fish and seafood dishes. It should be remembered, however, that the more flavorful the dish, the stronger the sparkling wine should be. A simple but excellent pairing is with scampi or smoked salmon. In fact, the iodine contained in the fish finds a faithful companion in the characteristic acidity of the bubbles. It goes well with all cured meats, but Metodo Classico and culatello is a decidedly excellent pairing. As an aperitif and to accompany hors d'oeuvres; In combination with desserts, especially leavened desserts and creams (the bubbles help to "degrease" the butteriness of the dessert) and excluding those with more intense and complex flavors, such as chocolate, and ice creams, both because of the temperature and the strong aromaticity of the fruit and structure in the case of creams.

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