Experts explain why you should never drink prosecco from a plastic cup

Researchers from Texas in the US have been looking in to if the way we drink our favourite fizz affects its taste...

Researchers from Texas in the US have been looking in to if the way we drink our favourite fizz affects its taste - and the results are far from surprising.

While we'd all like to be like Leo, supping champagne or prosecco out of a crystal saucer, for most of us a simple flute will do.

However, in the absence of proper champagne glasses or if there's not enough to go round at a party, we can be the first to admit we've reached for any glass going - whether that's a tumbler or even a plastic cup.

However, according to the researchers from the Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas at Austin, this is an absolute no-no.

According to the findings in their recent study, the way we drink our favourite fizz - or more specifically WHAT we drink it out of - does in fact have an effect on the overall taste of the tipple.

This is because the bubbles behave differently depending on the glass of vessel you are drinking out of.

So, whereas a clean glass flute will allow the bubbles to properly form and rise to the top of the drink, resulting in a nice taste, in a plastic cup the bubbles are more likely to 'stick' to the side of the cup, which will have a negative impact on the taste you get when you sip your drink.

Explaining the study to The Independent, Andrea Sella, professor of inorganic chemistry at University College London, said, 'Using plastic glasses, for example, really isn't so good because the bubbles actually stick quite strongly to the walls of the glass [and so are] bigger before they lift off.'

So, to ensure that your glass of prosecco tastes its absolute best this festive season, you'd best follow the very wise advice of these scientists and stick to champagne flutes - or saucers if you're feeling extra fancy!

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