Nuclear microprobe and optical investigation of sparkling wine bottles

Abstract Glass bottles, used for sparkling wine, are treated with freon during manufacturing to harden the inside surface. Although this type of treatment normally improves the properties of the glass, in this case the occurrence of “egg” formations (egg-shaped rough areas) on distinct areas of bottles, as well as yeast sticking to the insides of bottles at specific areas pointed to the possibility of different areas showing different properties in the same bottle. The question was whether the correct gas was used for the treatment, and secondly, whether the process was controlled well enough to obtain the correct properties for the inside of the glass. We present results of an optical microscopy and nuclear microprobe (NMP) investigation.