What is Wine’s Perlage and Why Is It So Important? It’s Not Just an Aesthetic Issue

You can be a novice used to wine in a carton or the greatest sommelier on the planet but in the end if you choose a sparkling wine you do it because you like bubbles. These bubbles in wine jargon are called "perlage". Perlage is, simply put, the characteristic effervescence in sparkling wines. It is the formation of many small bubbles that start from the base and go upwards. This phenomenon is caused by the rapid release of carbon dioxide formed in the second fermentation. We often tend to underestimate this phenomenon but the second fermentation of wines develops a quantity of carbon dioxide that brings the high pressure of the bottles up to 6 atmospheres: double that of car tires. When we open the bottle there is a sudden drop in pressure that is released through the formation of bubbles. Let's look in detail at all the secrets of perlage.

Why is It Called Perlage? The Story of a Marketing Idea

Perlage is a term that comes from French and describes the "pearls" of air that form in the glass. This term describes the set of bubbles that develop in sparkling wines when the liquid is poured into the glass. Perlage is in fact the "chain" that goes from the bottom of the container to the top. It is no coincidence that in French "perlage" literally means "string of pearls", a beautiful metaphor that indicates the row of carbon dioxide bubbles that develop in the glass.

It may surprise you, but this word is more common abroad than in France. In France, they often limit themselves to speaking of "effervescence" also because "perlage" is historically linked to the world of Champagne. In fact, it is thanks to the houses of the region that today we can seem elegant when we taste a glass with friends, filling our mouths with this term. In fact, the great houses of Champagne did not like the word "effervescence" and felt the urgent need to give a boost to business at the end of the 19th century. The strength of this legendary wine region has always been in its community: the companies, although rivals, understand that there is a "greater good". They met to decide what to do and, encouraged above all by two women, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, widow of Clicquot, and Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Mélin, widow of Pommery, they hired what today we would call copywriters and marketers.

These people studied new ways to communicate Champagne and, among many innovations, suggested the term "perlage" to describe the bubbles. To associate wine with a precious jewel and not a childish whim. The term "perlage" thus entered the advertising slogans of the time until it became part of the world wine vocabulary. We can say, over a century later, that the idea was nothing short of brilliant and that it is no coincidence that the desire to rely on expert communicators came from Vueve Clicquot and Madame Pommery, two women who made the history of wine and made two of the most important wineries of all time great.

Perlage: How and Why it Forms

Perlage is the most significant characteristic of sparkling wines and is formed as a consequence of the release of carbon dioxide. Its formation is due to a chemical process that occurs during the second fermentation. In this phase sugars and yeasts produce ethyl alcohol and generate carbon dioxide: however, this remains trapped in the bottle or in the autoclave depending on the production method and therefore dissolves in a liquid state due to the high pressure present.

The methods mentioned are the two most common processing styles used for the production of sparkling wines:

• The classic method (or méthode champenoise, which takes its name from the French region of Champagne) consists of inducing the refermentation of wines in the bottle through the introduction of sugars and selected yeasts. It is the classic way in which Champagne is made;
• The Martinotti method, or Charmat, or Martinotti-Charmat, is a process for producing sparkling wine through refermentation in a large closed container called an autoclave. This is the classic way in which Prosecco is made.

Regardless of the way the winery works, we still have the perlage: once the wine is uncorked and poured, the atmospheric pressure drops, causing the change of state. The carbon dioxide returns to being a gas, forming bubbles inside the liquid mass. These tend to rise to the surface, increasing in size because they collect other tiny gas molecules "along the way". It is precisely for this reason that we have the classic "foam" on the surface: the bubbles reach a critical size that leads to the release of the gas, leaving space for other bubbles that rise.

Why the Perlage of a Wine is So Important

The bubbles that rise are beautiful to see, not surprisingly social networks are invaded by photos of these glasses at sunset. However, the perlage is also important from a technical point of view , not just aesthetic.

First of all, bubbles help sommeliers in tasting: we said that bubbles, rising, also bring with them other gases, well these are aromatic molecules of the wine that are released into the air. The perlage emphasizes the aromas of the wine to the nose and reinforces the freshness on the palate. Not all effervescence is good, however. You have to understand when it is "correct".

The bubbles must be fine, numerous, persistent and very fast because the rapid and constant rise improves the perception of the taste of the wine. A perennial pearl chain , constantly fed, is beautiful to see and has an important technical feedback. When in the glass we see bubbles of various sizes, that rise slowly and that "explode" with little force then the wine is of low quality.

But be careful not to be fooled: in the vast majority of cases, bad perlage is the result of a bad wine and, if you do a tasting, this is almost certainly the reason. However, if you are at home or in a restaurant that is not particularly well-equipped, do not stop at appearances because a glass that is not perfectly clean does not favor the formation of foam. The residual chemical substances that may be present from a dishwasher that is not at its best, from a detergent that is too persistent, from a hand that is too vigorous in drying, or more simply from a glass that is not perfectly clean lead to a dissolution of the bubbles. So we are not talking about dirty places, even a glass that is "too" clean can create problems. In this case, taste the wine and draw your own conclusions.