Wine and the Right Glass
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The Glass: Thin and Clear
To appreciate the beauty of wine, get glasses that are not coloured or decoratively chiseled. It is hard to explain, with words, the difference between thin crystal and thick glass. You have to experience it to understand.
Just Starting Out
Purchase tulip shaped, stemmed wine glasses. Add others as you are able.
Tip - When pouring wines, keep the wine level in the lower one third of the glass. This leaves you lots of air and swirl room – both of these will enhance the enjoyment of your wine drinking.
The Stem vs. Stemless Tumblers:
We can appreciate the stylish good looks of the modern tumbler, but are still partial to stemware.
Here’s why…
1. as you twirl the wine in the glass you won’t be looking at your fingerprints
2. your hands won’t be warming the wine too quickly
On the other hand, not every occasion is a formal one, and sometimes its fun to be trendy!
Wine Glasses for Reds
The Bowl – Wider
The bigger flavours in reds need to spread out. The wider bowl also lets in more air which releases aromas and flavours.
The Opening – Wider
This gives you an opportunity to really ‘nose’ the wine to pick up on the complex aromas.
For Big Reds such as Amarone, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz use a glass with a big bowl and a big opening.
Soft Reds like Pinot Noir or Merlot would benefit from a bowl that narrows a little at the opening.
Wine Glasses for Whites
The Bowl – Narrower
The smaller capacity helps keep temperatures cool longer.
The Opening – Narrower
Lighter aromas waft well from a narrower glass.
For Spirited Whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner use glasses with a bowl with little room and a opening that narrows slightly.
Delicate Whites like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Semillon prefer a narrow bowl, narrow opening.
Sparkling and Champagne-style wines should have flute shaped glass. This keeps the effervescence ‘alive; longer.
Glasses for Other Wines
As you begin to experiment with Port, Porto Corinto, Orange Muscat, Sherry, and Ice-Wine style wines you will want to add some smaller interesting glasses. (I have found some interesting additions to my glassware collection in Thrift stores, at Liquidation centres and the like.)
