Choosing which utensils to use for eating different types of food is similar to choosing which glassware to use for different types of wine. Obviously, you wouldn't use a teaspoon to eat spaghetti or a fork for measuring sugar into your morning coffee. But did you know that there's a difference between red wine and white wine glasses? How about the difference between a Sangiovese glass and a Nebbiolo glass? It turns out there are specific types of wine glasses for nearly every type of wine. These different types of wine glasses can be identified by their different sizes and shapes. This wine glasses buying guide will help you identify the different types of wine glasses and figure out which wine glasses to use and how to buy the wine glasses that will best meet your needs.
The wine glass you choose can enhance or detract from the way you experience the wine you drink. Wine is an experience for all your senses, not just taste but sight, smell, touch and even sound. The sound of wine glasses being toasted can be like crystal bells. The stem or bowl of a wine glass feels both delicate and strong in your hand. The "legs" and "tears" of the wine on the inside wall of your glass as you swirl the wine around and the way champagne bubbles ripple up the length of a slender flute make it a lovely sight. The intricate aromas of the wine captured in the glass are breathed in like a bouquet just before you sip. The fragrant smell of the wine heightens the taste. The relationship between wine and glass is inextricable.
For a true connoisseur of fine wine, a complete set of handmade, mouth-blown crystal wine glasses is an investment that will be enjoyed for a lifetime. For those who usually have a few bottles of wine on hand for enjoying a glass of wine with dinner but do not yet have a wine cellar stocked with an extensive collection of wines from around the world, keeping a simple set of wine glasses in general sizes in your kitchen will suffice.
There are three general types of wine glasses: red, white and sparkling. For most people, a set of stemware that includes these basic types of wine glasses will be perfectly sufficient. Red wine glasses are typically larger and have a wider bowl for catching the "bouquet" of the wine, while white wine glasses are narrower in order to better complement the lighter, more delicate aromas of white wines. Champagne flutes are tall and slender and meant to foreground the visual beauty of the bubbles.
There is no set in stone rule for drinking wine. Different glassware artisans make a wide variety of different shaped glasses for all different types of wine. The general rule of thumb for choosing the best wine glass for the job is to consider the color, maturity, sweetness and acidity of the wine. For younger and lighter bodied wines -- both red and white -- use a more slender glass, while mature and full-bodied wines benefit more from a rounder glass. For rose wines, a short, broad glass is best, and for sparkling wine, a tall, narrow glass is usually better.
For young and crisp white wines, the main characteristic of the glass is the shape of the opening, which should be nearly straight or even slightly flared outward. This shape of glass is meant to properly introduce the flavors of a young, crisp wine to the mouth by directing the wine first to the tip of the tongue for more sensitivity to sweetness and then to the sides of the tongue for more sensitivity to acidity. This shape of glass also directs the aroma of the wine delicately to the nose to complement the delicacy of the wine.
For bodied and mature white wines, the body of the glass is generally larger as is the mouth of the glass. This allows the more complex aromas of mature white wines to bloom within the bowl. Unlike a lighter bodied white wine glass, the lip of a mature white wine glass does not flare outward and is instead straight. The straight lip of the glass first presents the bouquet of the wine to the nose and then directs the wine to sides and back of the tongue prior to the tip in order to properly showcase the roundness of a bodied wine.
For young and crisp rose wines, the shape and function of the glass is identical to young and crisp white wine glasses. But the size of a young rose wine glass is different: The glass is shorter and wider in order to properly oxygenate the wine and correctly develop the aromas.
Mature bodied rose wines need a straight-lip glass, and like the young rose wine glass, it is short and wide for adequate oxygenation and aroma development.
The correct glass for a young red wine is fundamentally similar to a bodied white wine glass, and in fact, you can use the exact same glass for both types of wine (not simultaneously of course).
Bodied mature red wines are best in a glass similar to a young red wine glass but taller with a slightly narrower opening in order to better capture the more complicated aromas.
Full-bodied and very mature red wines are best enjoyed in a large-sized glass with a wide body and tapered mouth. The larger size of this glass allows proper oxygenation to take place (with or without decanting) in wine that has aged a long time and has developed milder, rounder tannins. This glass is perfect for wines produced from robust grapes such as Sangiovese or Cabernet Sauvignon.
There is a variation of the full-bodied mature wine glass that is slightly shorter than the aged Cabernet glass and has a flared lip rather than a straight lip in order to direct the wine to the specific areas of the tongue that will complement the flavor of certain wines. This glass is better used with a mature Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo because of the acidity that develops as it ages. A flared lip directs the wine to the tip of the tongue to accentuate the sweetness of the wine, thus balancing the acidity.
The best glass for a sweet wine, like dessert wines and ice wines, is a small glass with a wide body and narrow mouth with a straight lip. A straight-lip glass will tone down an especially sweet wine by directing it away from the areas of the tongue most sensitive to sweetness. This will prevent a sweet wine from tasting sickly. The size of this glass is also important. Sweet wine glasses are small because they are meant to be served in smaller portions.
A small glass with a flared lip is best for fortified wines, such as Marsala, Sherry, Porto and Madeira, which have other spirits, often brandy, added to increase the sweetness. The flared mouth of this glass is perfectly formed for complementing dry fortified wines by directing the wine to the tip of the tongue to accentuate sweetness.
There are four basic shapes of glasses for sparkling wine. The first is a demi-flute. This glass is narrow and tall for showcasing bubbles but slightly shorter than a regular flute. A demi-flute is perfect for showcasing dry sparkling wines, which have been produced using the Charmant or Martinotti method. These wines have a less refined perlage with coarser bubbles.
Classic-method sparkling wine is best enjoyed in a tall, narrow flute. The tall body of this glass favors the development of a refined perlage. The narrow diameter heightens the fresh, delicate aromas of young, non-vintage sparkling wine.
For vintage classic-method wine, a tall flute with a wider body and tapered mouth is best suited for capturing and enhancing the more complicated aromas of a matured sparkling wine.
The last type of sparkling wine glass is the cup. For aromatic sweet champagnes, a wide, shallow bowl is best. The cup shape is particularly suited to rich and aromatic wines, such as Asti Spumante, because of their sweetness. A large, wide opening has the benefit of mitigating the aromatic strength of the grape while allowing other aromas to develop. Because these wines have less perlage, showcasing the bubbles with a tall, narrow glass is not as big of an issue.
Can I put my stemware in the dishwasher?
When caring for your wine glasses and barware, there are a few things to remember. Hand washing your stemware with warm water and very little soap is the best way to care for your wine glasses. However, stemware can be washed in the dishwasher as long as special care is taken when doing so, especially with crystal glassware. When washing your wine glasses in the dishwasher, use a very neutral smelling soap or better yet, no soap at all. Your stemware should not be placed in a dishwasher full of other dishes. It's better to do a glassware-specific load than to mix plates, bowls, pots and pans in with your glassware.
Doesn't fine crystal contain lead?
Although you can buy crystal without lead, most fine crystal wine glasses and decanters do contain lead. Typically, the more expensive the crystal, the more lead it contains. Any liquid stored in a lead crystal container such as a wine decanter or even the jam in a crystal jam jar can leach lead from the crystal. This doesn't mean you should fear using your beautiful crystal decanter or stemware, but you should take some precautions. Avoid storing Cognac or Port in a lead crystal decanter. For entertaining purposes, it is fine to serve beverages from your crystal decanter, just empty the contents back into their original bottle at the end of the evening rather than leaving it in the decanter.
What is the purpose of a wine decanter?
In times past, wine commonly contained a considerable amount of solid matter due to the lack of fining and filtering technology available. Back then, a wine decanter acted as a mode of filtering out the solid matter before pouring a glass of wine. Today, most wine on the shelf is thoroughly filtered during the production process and has no need of a decanter for filtering purposes. That being said, wines that age in a bottle (mostly red wines) will develop sediment the longer they age. So, when you open up that wedding day bottle of red wine on your tenth anniversary, you will want to use a decanter to filter out the sediment. But for most people on an everyday basis, decanters will be most useful for enjoying young wines. Decanting a young wine actually aerates the wine, allowing it to develop more complex flavors and aromas that normally only develop with years spent aging in a bottle. Decanting a young and inexpensive bottle of wine can make it taste like a much more mature and expensive bottle.
Wine decanter
No collection of wine glasses and barware is complete without an elegant wine decanter. A wine decanter not only benefits the taste of the wine, but it also enhances the visual experience of the wine. Overstock.com has a beautiful selection of glass decanters and carafes at discount prices to save you money while adding to the comforts of your home.
Bar and wine tools
What good are wine glasses and a decanter if you have no way of opening up the bottle of wine? You need a quality corkscrew from Overstock.com. Overstock.com has top quality elegant bar and wine tools at our signature low prices for all your entertaining needs.
Coolers and ice buckets
Now that you have everything you need for a fully stocked home bar, make a toast with tall glass of chilled champagne! What do you mean the champagne isn't cold? Looks like you could use an ice bucket. Overstock.com has a fabulous selection of beautiful wine coolers and ice buckets in a wide variety of materials, from cut glass to copper, so you'll always be prepared for a perfectly chilled celebratory toast.
