Wine Glasses
September 25th 2006 10:55
It pains me to see someone scoffing down even a barely decent chiante out of a tumbler. People who drink burgundy out of plastic 'glasses' (yes even at picnics) make my hands contort and become all strangley. The receptacle you choose to hold your celestial nectar is extremely important. I thought it was all a great wank myself at one point in my life but I've done enough blind tests with glasses of varying shapes and sizes to know. An aged Bordeaux can be stifled in the wrong glass and its sexy little secrets completely unlocked in another.
Shape:
The shape of the glass is very important, as it concentrates the aroma (or bouquet) to emphasise the varietal's characteristic. The shape of the glass also directs the wine itself into the best area of the mouth from the varietal. In general the opening of the glass is not wider than the widest part of the bowl.
The stem of a glass is an important feature as it provides a way to hold the glass without warming the wine from body heat. It also prevents fingerprints from smearing the glass, and makes the glass easier to swirl. Except for the wine connoisseur, wine glasses can be divided into three types: red wine glasses, white wine glasses and champagne flutes.
Red wine glasses
Glasses for red wine are characterized by their rounder, wider bowl, which gives the wine a chance to breathe. Since most reds are meant to be consumed at room temperature, the wider bowl also allows the wine to cool more quickly after hand contact has warmed it. Red wine glasses can have particular styles of their own, such as:
Bordeaux glass: Tall with a wide bowl, and is designed for full bodied red wines like Cabernet and Merlot as it directs wine to the back of the mouth.
Burgundy glass: Larger than the Bordeaux glass, it has a larger bowl to accumulate aromas of more delicate red wines such as Pinot Noir. This style of glass directs wine to the tip of the tongue.
White wine glasses
White wine glasses are generally narrower, although not as narrow as champagne flutes, with somewhat straight or tulip-shaped sides. The narrowness of the white wine glass allows the chilled wine to retain its temperature for two reasons;
The reduced surface area of the glass (in comparison to red wine glasses) means less air circulating around the glass and warming the wine.
The smaller bowl of the glass means less contact between the hand and the glass, and so body heat does not transfer as easily to the wine.
Champagne flutes
Champagne flutes are characterised by a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top. The shape is designed to keep sparkling wine desirable during its consumption. The glass is designed to be held by the stem to help prevent the heat from the hand from warming the champagne. The bowl itself is designed in a manner to help retain the signature carbonation in the beverage. This is achieved by reducing the surface area at the opening of the bowl.
Champagne flutes are often used at formal engagements, such as award ceremonies and weddings.
Riedel make some of the finest wine glasses around.
Click Here to check out some of the glasses in Riedel's range
So you see - there is no excuse for drinking Champagne from a lady's shoe. Use the right glass and you'll give your precious elixir a voice all its own (hopefully a voice resembling Kathleen Turner in her prime and not Kirstie Alley ordering us all to 'Call Jenny'.)
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