Episode 10 – Choosing the Right Glass for Your Wine

Wine can be enjoyed from a coffee mug if necessary, but somehow that look would leave a bit to be desired at your dinner party. The shape of wine glasses does actually enhance the aroma and taste of wine, thus increasing your whole wine drinking experience. Therefore it is important to know which kind of glass, or stemware, to serve which kind of wine in.

 

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Manufacturers insist that fine crystal stemware is the ideal choice from which to enjoy your wine. You should choose a plain glass. Gold and silver goblets were fine for the olden days, but part of the enjoyment of drinking wine is the look of it. We like to observe the color, intensity and clarity. This will clue you in on certain important factors about your wine like texture, age and quality.

The size of the glass is important too. You need to be able to swirl the wine about the glass to release its bouquet and to aerate it, thus enhancing the flavor. You need to be able to get your nose close enough to inhale the fruity aromas wafting up. But you don’t want those aromas to disappear too quickly into the surrounding air; this is where the shape of the glass comes in.

Did you ever wonder why most wine glasses have a larger bowl that curves in to a narrower rim? The large bowl releases the aroma, while the narrower rim stops it dissipating before you’ve had a chance to inhale. The different shapes of the glasses also change the position of your head when you are taking a mouthful, so that the wine spreads over all your taste buds; it doesn’t just stream down the center of your tongue. Since different areas of our tongue support different tastes, this is important. We could miss some of the sweet flavor if the wine misses the tip of our tongue.

So if you have a nice red wine, choose a tulip-shaped glass. For Bordeaux you’ll need a tall glass with wide bowl. This directs the wine to the back of the mouth and also will allow the wine to breathe. Burgundy will need a similarly shaped glass only with a bigger bowl.

For white wine the glasses will need to be small to keep the wine at its cooler temperature. Chardonnay glasses will be taller, the bowl less pronounced that red wine glasses. Champagne glasses are really tall and thin so you can see the bubbles rising. This shape also concentrates the delicate aroma.

Experts recommend that wine glasses be washed in plain water only. Otherwise, soap can build up in the bowl and ruin the delicate flavor of the wine.
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