Vineyard VIEW: It’s the Time for a Good Glass of Wine

Vineyard VIEW: It’s the Time for a Good Glass of Wine

Whether sweet or dry, white or red, robust or light, the specific glass offers the potential for full flavor.

Photo webstaurantstore.com

By Peter Leonard-Morgan

It’s no accident that wine glasses are shaped and look the way they do.

The earliest wine glasses were thought to have been created in Venice, Italy in the 15th century, although wine vessels of all types had been in use for many centuries prior to that.

Almost two dozen styles of wine glass are in use regularly today, and here’s why.

The size and diameter of the bowl, the part of the glass into which the wine is poured, plays a crucial part in how a wine reacts and therefore tastes and smells once poured. Red wines require larger glasses so that more surface area comes into contact with the air, and therefore oxidizes, releasing aromas from the tannins in the wine. A nicely shaped, large glass also allows the oenophile to “swirl” the wine, further “volatizing” the alcohol at the surface.

Drilling down into the detail even further, a bold Bordeaux red benefits from a taller, narrower glass than, say, a Burgundy as its shape ideally delivers the sip to the back of the tongue, whereas the wider Burgundy glass is excellent for swirling the wine prior to tasting.

Conversely, white wine glasses need to be smaller so that its clean flavors are preserved, and oxidation is slowed. In a similar way to the reds, different whites benefit from smaller or larger bowls. An oak barrel Chardonnay, for example, does better with a larger glass to promote its oxidation process, and therefore highlights its flavors and aromas. A lighter white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier benefits from the narrower bowl to retain its crispness.

And then there’s Champagne.

For so long, Champagne “coupes” were the epitome of style. However, these tended to accelerate the dissipation of the all important carbon dioxide bubbles synonymous with the greatest celebratory drink on the planet. As a result, both the “flute” and the “tulip” gained increasing popularity, glasses that gave the bubbles far more staying power. The good news is that coupes are making a comeback in stylish establishments everywhere. Having inherited a set of midcentury “coupes,” they’re certainly making a comeback in our home.

The stem deserves some discussion because it also plays an important role when it comes to enhancing the enjoyment of wine.

Holding a glass of wine by its stem as opposed to around the bowl, particularly with a cold white, ensures that heat is not transferred from hand to wine. Today, a number of wine glass manufacturers add strengthening constituents such as titanium to the glass-making process, producing a thing of beauty but with considerably added strength. Stemless glasses have become popular, and do have their practical benefits, primarily in the breakage reduction department, because they are less susceptible to being knocked over, particularly in hectic environments.

In reality, having half a dozen of each variant in the kitchen cupboard is impractical. Having sufficient wider bowl/rim glasses for reds and narrower ones for whites, plus your preferred Champagne/sparkling wine glasses, whether it be tulip, flute or coupe, will work well for most occasions.

Appropriately—Cheers!