Which Wine Glass
Which wine glass is suitable for your favourite wine might not be a question for the ages, at least not any more.
Using the wrong wine glass for your daily tipple is not a crime, and in most circumstances will not change your enjoyment of your favourite wine.
If however you take your wine semi seriously you will probably already know that there are different wine glasses designed to bring out the individual characteristics of different wines.
Obviously, it is possible to drink wine out of absolutely anything that holds liquid, and while it is unlikely that most people will taste the difference between drinking their favourite wine from a coffee cup or from a water glass, there will be a difference, however minuscule it might be.
Wine glasses are designed with two main practical purposes in mind; delivering the aromas to your nose and delivering the wine to the parts of your tongue that will accentuate it’s character, the wine not your tongue.
I will start with red wine glasses and start with the one style that everyone has seen or at some point owned;
The Bordeaux.
The Bordeaux wine glass is the tallest wine glass you will usually come across, it is designed this way to ensure that when you sample the aroma there is enough oxygen between the wine and the rim to enable the tannins and alcohol vapours to dissipate sufficiently to showcase the complex fruit characteristics. It has a wide bowl to allow plenty of surface contact with the oxygen which allows for ethanol evaporation and a wide rim which aids smoothness on the palate. This glass is ideal for all full-bodied red wines.
The Pinot Noir glass has a noticeably broad bowl which allows the aromas of these delicate wines to build up inside the glass, it also has a narrow rim to deliver the wine to the front of the palate allowing you to savour each flavour nuance.
The Syrah glass is essentially a standard red wine glass, which is designed for medium to full bodied wines and especially caters for red wines that may have a spicy note to them. It has a wide bowl to evaporate alcohol vapours and the narrow rim which slows the speed of the flow of wine into the mouth which softens any spicy notes.
There are essentially two types of white wine glasses for dry whites.
A standard white wine glass is designed for a light bodied white wine. Typically, it has a narrower bowl and a narrower rim than a red wine glass, this helps to preserve delicate aromas in the glass, it also enables the acidity levels to remain in-tact and not become washed out due to an excess of oxygen. The glass shape also helps maintain a low temperature, as does the long stem.
The second type of white wine glass is designed for fuller bodied white wines such as an oaked Chardonnay, or a Rioja Blanco and has a wide bowl and a wide rim. The wide bowl allows for a softening of smoky aromas, and the wide rim is perfectly suited to rich and buttery wines as it directs the wine across the palate instead of concentrating it to the front of the mouth.
Riesling and semi-sweet to sweet white wine glasses are smaller than a standard white wine glass which is to accommodate the higher intensity of flavours in these wines. These glasses will have a reasonably wide bowl to allow space for complex aromas to develop, and a narrow rim to guide the wine to the middle of the mouth which softens the impact of the sweetness.
Champagne Flutes are designed for all sparkling wine types. These glasses have a long narrow bowl to allow complex aromas and flavours to develop, a small bead at the bottom of the bowl encourages continuous upwards movement of bubbles. A narrow rim keeps the carbonation active and allows aroma’s to be directed to the mouth.
Port Wine glasses have a narrow rim to reduce evaporation and to direct the wine to the middle of the mouth which minimizes an excessive explosion of sweetness. They will have a narrow bowl to concentrate flavours and a slightly long body which leaves room for swirling.
Sherry glasses can also double as Dessert wine glasses as they are designed to be quite short and thus good for the higher alcohol content of these wines. A reasonably broad base allows for the complex aromas and flavours to develop, there is enough height for swirling and the narrow rim encourages the wine to the middle of the mouth where the sweetness can be enjoyed gradually. These glasses are suitable for dry as well as sweet sherry, though a dry sherry could also be fine in a standard white wine glass.
