Champagne flute that keeps your bubbly bubbly....

Champagne flute that keeps your bubbly fizzy for longer

By LYDIA WARREN
Last updated at 10:45 PM on 2nd May 2011

For those who like to savour rather than swig but find their bubbly goes flat too soon, help is at hand.

Just in time for the summer season, Marks & Spencer is selling champagne flutes that keep the fizz in for longer.

The difference is five or six laser-etched dots at the bottom of the glass. They are said to increase the surface area and act as points on which bubbles can form and rise upwards, creating a continuous, steady stream.

Remarkable: The Mail's wine critic Matthew Jukes compared the flutes and said the constant flow of bubbles improved the aroma and helped the flavour

At £15 for four, they could prove a wise investment for the connoisseur who thinks nothing of spending upwards of £50 on a bottle.

Pam McDermott, of M&S, said: ‘Champagne is best when poured from a freshly-opened bottle as that’s when it’s at its fizziest.  The stay-sparkling flutes help to give that satisfying fizz even when a bottle has been open a little while or kept in a fridge with a pressurised stopper.’

 

The Daily Mail’s wine expert Matthew Jukes pointed out that he had seen the dots before – but only in glasses costing £40 each.

‘This is not new technology, but it is new to see at this price. It’s very impressive.’ He added: ‘Champagne has been pumped full of carbon dioxide – there is the same pressure in a bottle of champagne as there is in the tyre of a double-decker bus. The impressions in the glass help release the carbon dioxide and keep the fizz effervescing.’

Nicky Turk, from Amuse Bouche Champagne Bars in London, said the flutes were a great idea. ‘The bubbles are definitely the most important part of champagne.

‘If you put a top on it, champagne can last overnight without going flat. But the glasses are a great idea for domestic use because you might drink a bottle slower at home than we would in a bar. It would ensure you could enjoy top-quality champagne every time.’

A 2009 study in Germany revealed that champagne gets its distinctive flavour from its bubbles. Results showed there were up to 30 times more flavour-enhancing chemicals in the bubbles than in the rest of the drink.

Further research in France last year found the best way to keep fizz in a glass of bubbly was to tilt the glass when pouring. The secret is to let the wine trickle gently down the side, Gérard Liger-Belair and his colleagues noted.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382801/Champagne-flute-keeps-bubbly-fizzy-longer.html#ixzz1LGDe1bPB