Bubbles

Effervescence in 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 dissolves very easily in aqueous solutions, which is what wine actually is. Opening the bottle releases the gas, whose bubbles create the typical foam of these wines. In sparkling wines and spumante wines, the bubbles of carbon dioxide (also called pérlage) give life to the foam, enhance the aromas and the brightness of the color, and reinforce the sensation of freshness on the palate that is characteristic of these wines. The ideal bubbles are fine, numerous and persistent. They give life to a fine foam, more evanescent in sparkling wines and more persistent in quality spumante wines, especially if made with the classic method. Deviation from these ideal conditions (sparsed or coarse bubbles, or short-lived bubbles) represents a negative factor for the purposes of judging and scoring the wine under examination. The number, finesse 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 supersaturated with carbon dioxide, it immediately releases all the gas in a tumultuous manner when the overpressure is removed. As the substances dissolved in the wine increase and therefore the structure and complexity of the wine increase, physical properties such as density, viscosity and surface tension ensure that the release of bubbles after opening the bottle occurs continuously and gradually. At the same overpressure, a long-aged classic method sparkling wine will have more numerous, fine and persistent bubbles than a younger and lighter sparkling wine. Quality sparkling wines can be produced with two methods:

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

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

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