Champagne Bubbles

When champagne contacts the dry glass on pouring, it produces an initial burst of effervescence that forms bubbles on natural imperfections in the glass that facilitate nucleation. Bubbles can also form on the fibres left over from wiping the glass dry. After the initial rush of bubbles, the surface tension of the liquid smoothes out these minute imperfections, and they become too small to act consistently as nucleation points.

In fact, the nucleation sites that act as a source for the ongoing bubbles are not the natural imperfections in the glass, but occur where the glass has been etched by the manufacturer. This etching is generally performed with a laser or acid to provide nucleation sites for continuous bubble formation. If the manufactured glass does not provide this etching, then home consumers may etch the glass using a glass etching tool from a craft shop.