Sky high bubbles: The real reason champagne tastes better on a flight

It was 1954 when the first bubbles appeared in an aircraft cabin. California’s Western Airlines, in partnership with the US winemaker Italian Swiss Colony, introduced a local sparkling wine on board in a bid to draw passengers away from the competition.

Fast forward 70 years and luxury French champagnes are a staple of the premium cabin. But is drinking champagne any different when you are on a plane? As New Year’s Eve approaches, AeroTime investigates.

Airlines are among the biggest purchases of champagne in the world

All over the world, airlines are stepping up their game with luxury wines and champagnes for their most important guests. As the home airline of the Champagne region, Air France curates its champagne selection meticulously, serving up over a million bottles a year to its customers. 

But it’s not only the French who appreciate a good glass of fizz. Countless carriers now employ master sommeliers to select and curate their wines and champagnes. For example, United Airlines appointed Doug Frost, one of only four individuals in the world to hold the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles simultaneously, to curate its wine program.

Photo EmiratesAnd airlines don’t scrimp on the wines on offer. Japan Airlines currently serves Salon 2013 in First Class on flights from Japan, which retails at an eye-watering $1,100 per bottle. Emirates serves impressive expressions of Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Dom Pérignon in vintages that cost hundreds of dollars a bottle in all classes, although economy passengers must pay.

When it comes to making premium cabins stand out from the competition, a great selection of wine and champagne is crucial. But airlines present a challenge even for the producers, as supplying enough volume to cater to hundreds of thousands of passengers a year is something only the Grandes Marques can accommodate.

Why does champagne taste different on a plane?

Choosing the right tipples for the cabin is not an easy task, as tastes change on board. Both food and drink are well known for not having the same flavor as on the ground. This difference in perception has a scientific explanation.

When Lufthansa noticed it was selling more tomato juice than beer (quite surprising for such a beer-loving nation), it commissioned a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics to uncover the reasons behind this.

The research found that “salt is perceived to be between 20-30% less intense and sugar 15-20% less intense” when consumed on a flight. This is due to a combination of dryness and pressure inside the cabin. Conversely, our perception of acidity remains more or less unaffected. Dryness also prevents our nose from picking up the smell, which accounts for 80% of the perceived sense of taste.

At the same time, that elusive fifth flavor, known as ‘umami,’ is heightened onboard flights. This goes some way to explain the popularity of Bloody Marys in the sky, as the Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco are umami-rich, providing heat, vinegar, and salt flavors that taste perfect at altitude.

Photo United AirlinesInterestingly, research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) linked the rate of bubbles bursting in champagne with the perceived sense of flavor. Cabin pressure means bubbles burst faster and aromas dissipate quicker, making it more difficult for the smell to reach your nose.

Enjoying your champagne on a flight

Wine experts speaking to GQ recommended opting for crisp, light wines with stronger scents to ensure a pleasant drink. Wines with lots of tannins like Chianti and heavy Cabernets will become rather leathery in flight, whereas lightly flavored wines like Pinot Grigio will become flavorless. 

Lisa Redwine, who selects the wines for private jet charter operator Schubach Aviation, told Wine Enthusiast that “reduced air pressure alters the way we perceive the structure of wines, often skewing the perception of tannins and acidity, which can make some wines taste overly harsh or astringent.”

Photo AeroTimeHowever, when it comes to sparkling wine and champagne, you can’t go far wrong. The crisp lightness and strong fruity aromas associated with champagne make it a good choice on just about any trip, but does it really taste any better than it does on the ground?

With all the evidence to hand, it seems that champagne shouldn’t taste better on a flight; it should taste worse. This is particularly true in the later stages of a long-haul trip, where your body will be tired and dehydrated, reducing the ability to pick up the finer notes in quality fizz. So why do so many flyers swear that it tastes better?

Wine Guardian says that it’s not so much about the champagne itself, but more to do with our psychological state. Travel makes us happy, and happy people perceive experiences as being better. Some flyers may not have a point of reference, not being in the habit of dropping several hundred dollars on a bottle of Krug, so enjoy its muted tones onboard without complaint.

The truth is, champagne doesn’t taste better on a plane. We just think it does.

Could there be champagne on space flights?

For the foreseeable future, it is likely that space tourism will remain a luxury that only the wealthy can afford. But as they orbit the Earth, will the selected few be able to celebrate their space odyssey with a glass of champagne?

RELATED

Blue Origin successfully carries out maiden space tourism flight

For now, drinking in space is far from a glamorous experience. Without gravity, liquids cannot flow out of a bottle. Thus, astronauts in the International Space Station have to suck drinking water from a pouch through a straw. 

French designer Octave de Gaulle (the great-grand-nephew of France’s late president, Charles de Gaulle) wants to change that reality. His agency, Spade, specializes in the design and study of objects that may one day accompany humans in space. 

Since 2015, Spade has collaborated with champagne producer Mumm to find a solution that would allow space travelers to enjoy champagne the way it is meant to be enjoyed – out of a bottle and into a glass.

After three years of studies that included Zero-G flights onboard Novespace’s Airbus A310, de Gaulle finally unveiled his solution: a ring at the mouth of the bottle, which turns the pressurized champagne into an orb of foam that can then be collected using a small glass.

Whether this bottle can survive a trip to orbit remains to be seen. While alcohol is (mostly) prohibited on the International Space Station, the bottle could attract the attention of space tourism companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, or Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.

The post Sky high bubbles: The real reason champagne tastes better on a flight appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source