[ The following is an exact transcript of this podcast. ]

It’s one of the most vexing problems in modern science: which wine to order with the Chilean sea bass. One thing’s for sure, though--you’d only ever order a white wine, never a red wine with fish. The flavors just clash. But now researchers have pinpointed the problem with red wine and seafood. And some reds may actually go fine with fish.

Bubbles percolating up through a freshly poured glass of champagne do more than just tickle the tongue, according to a new study.  

A team of European researchers, publishing in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , finds that the bubbles in sparkling wine drag compounds that activate smell receptors to the surface of the sparkling wine and then shoot them upward where a taster can easily encounter them. (Although "champagne" technically refers to sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France, all effervescent wines should be subject to the same mechanism.)  

[ The following is an exact transcript of this podcast. ]

Let’s raise a toast to champagne. And its ubiquitous bubbles. Because new research says the bubbles aren’t just tickling your tongue. They’re erupting with aromas vital to the taste of the beverage.