A tiny bubble can do a lot of work. In the ocean, for example, rising air bubbles in the surf drag certain compounds to the surface. These compounds, called surfactants, have a water-loving end (which stays in the water) and a water-avoiding end (which stays inside the bubble); when the bubbles reach the surface and pop, the surfactants are released. The effect is to concentrate these compounds in the air in the vicinity of the surf.
A glass of Champagne, it turns out, is like a mini-ocean.
Champagne bubbles act like an elevator, bringing aromatic compounds up out of the liquid and into the air above it. The effect continues over and over as bubbles continue to form.
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New York Times Article
. . . . . . Pete
