Virtually tasty: Fizz and foods

(kimba)

In the August 11 print edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, French researchers are advising champagne lovers and servers to pour the bubbly like beer to get the most fizz from each glass. However serving champagne like a beer doesn't mean one should ignore the best flavor-enhancing food pairings for the bubbly beverage.

The soft pour (pouring champagne into an angled glass like a heady beer) preserves the liquid's delicate fizz, according to the study's lead author Gerard Liger-Belair, a professor at the University of Reims and author of Uncorked: the Science of Champagne.

Here are some fruits, dairy, vegetables and delicacies from FoodPairing.be, a database of food, ingredients and beverage pairings, that will enhance your fizz experience: apples, bananas, mangos, Manchego and Parmesan cheeses, mushrooms, bell pepper coulis, baked foie de canard (duck liver), San Daniele ham and mussels. For the complete list that includes condiments, spices and tea, go to: http://www.foodpairing.be/FoodPairable.aspx?f=Champagne

Liger-Belair et al and the wine vlog IntoWine.com recommend chilling your champagne to between 4-7 degrees Celsius to maintain the most fizz.

Here is a short clip via VideoJug on how to open a bottle of champagne: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-open-champagne  

And, eHow's instructions on ‘How to Pour a beer': http://www.ehow.com/how_2051153_pour-a-beer.html

Full study, "On the Losses of Dissolved CO2 during Champagne Serving": http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf101239w.