Port’s often relegated to the festive period, and forgotten about for the rest of the year (at least, in the UK). This is a shame as if you look beyond the standard ruby port, there are several other delicious types, particularly the varieties that are aged for longer periods of time. There’s also some interesting chemistry behind these varieties and how they transform during ageing.
With New Year’s Eve upcoming, a large number of people will celebrate by popping open a bottle of champagne. The bubbles in your glass may seem simple enough, but there’s actually a wealth of interesting chemistry behind them – chemistry that’s vital for the perceived taste and aroma of the wine. There’s a lot more to the bubbles than you might think, and this post picks apart some of the chemical compounds involved.
To complement the ongoing food chemistry posts, this supplementary series is going to look at the key chemicals (or families of chemicals) that give alcoholic drinks their characteristics. The first in the series looks at some of the families of chemicals in red wine that contribute towards its colour and flavour, with more detail provided in the post below.
