Wine Glasses Deconstructed: How They Shape Up
There’s a specific shape for each wine. Choosing the best glass for a particular type of wine is not a snob thing...there’s a reason for a specific design being suitable for an exact wine. Whether a novice or a seasoned sommelier, you can get a better wine-tasting experience using the correct glass shape. Let’s take a look at some basics.
So many options, which do we choose?!
The stem of a wine glass sets it apart from your regular drinking glass, but it isn’t there just to look pretty. Whether it’s red or white, you’ll want to sip the wine at the right temperature, and holding the stem of the glass keeps body heat away from the wine. This is especially important as you keep sipping over a period of time. Another job of the stem is to help you get the true aroma of the wine and not the scent of food on your hand or even that soothing hand lotion you applied earlier in the day. That’s why it’s best to hold the stem toward the base, furthest away from the bowl.
And that brings us to the bowl. Round like a globe, shaped like a tulip, or somewhere in between – where to start?
Does it pass the sniff test? A wine’s aroma has a lot to do with its taste, so one thing to look for is a glass that allows the vapors to travel freely out of the glass and be captured by your senses. Bolder reds taste better when they can breathe, and a larger bowl creates more surface area exposed to oxygen to help that process. When this happens, you’ll get more subtle notes and enjoy its full flavor. Most whites, however, do well with a narrower bowl because you want those to maintain their crisp, clean essence; they don’t need to breathe or go through the oxidation process, so that they won’t do well with a larger surface area. However, some fuller whites, like an oaky Chardonnay, do better with a fuller bowl to experience its subtleties.
What does your schnoz
So if you want to begin somewhere, you’d do well with two different shapes of glasses; a fuller, rounder bowl for reds and a less round one for whites. But there’s a whole world of wine glasses out there if you want to do a deep dive and narrow it down even more. The ideal Pinot Noir glass differs from one for Burgundies, that differs from those for a Cabernet. Same with the whites. They even differ in how wide or narrow the glass's rim is to deliver the perfect sip.
It’s fascinating to look at the different types of wine glasses side-by-side and see how varied they are. You might need to add a room to your house if you get the perfect set of glasses for each type of wine. But for now, knowing the basics will help you enjoy your wine-sipping experience.
How fun to put this info to the taste test! Sign up for one of Boston Winery’s Wine Tasting events with Vito.
