How to Choose the Proper Wine Glass
Whether you go online or shop locally, it’s easy to be confused about what kind of wine glasses to buy for your home or a special event. There are tall, skinny glasses, there are short, stout ones, and everything in between. With all these choices, what type of wine stemware should you purchase?
Now really, that all depends on your lifestyle and how you use the stemware, or more specifically, what kind of wine are you drinking? Here are some guidelines to help you match the type of wine glasses to the type of wine that goes into them. Remember these are just guidelines, wine can be enjoyed in many different glasses, including old jelly jars.
Champagne glasses are otherwise known as flutes. They are tall and thin, with a narrow opening at the top. The narrow opening prohibits the fast release of the carbon dioxide that’s in the Champagne. If you use a shorter glass with a wider opening, your Champagne will become flatter faster than it would in a flute.
This weekend I saw a cable program about the cider industry in Quebec. One of the producers of a popular modern cider went to France to study how Champagne is made and used the same technology to produce a delicious cider. During the show the cider maker and the reporter used flutes to drink the bubbly cider. The cider bubbles were smaller, but the reason for them was the same.
Chardonnay glasses are tall with a subtle bowl. This enables the glass to keep the wine cold. Chardonnay glasses are most commonly used for white wines, and will bring out the wine’s boldest flavors.
Bordeaux and Burgundy glasses have a balloon shape, with the Burgundy glasses having a slightly larger bowl and both are designed to enhance the flavor of red wine. They are a tall glass which have wide bowls that enables the wine to breathe. This allows the wine to develop it’s full bouquet, and in essence, have better flavor.
These wine glasses are a good starting point to begin your stemware collection. There are numerous specialty shapes and styles especially for spirits and liqueurs. But if you start with the basics, you will soon be on your way to being a wine connoisseur.
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