Choosing wines based on their composition and taste is a common practice, however in order to fully enjoy the drink it is essential that the correct glassware is also chosen. The wrong glassware can lead to an expensive wine to taste just not right. Hence, it is important to understand the anatomy of a wine glass and how it affects the wine drinking experience. This will allow you to understand questions such as what is the best size wine glass? Or do wine glasses really make a difference in terms of enhancing your drinking experience.
Anatomy of a wine glass:
Are you pondering, which glasses for which wines? Well, let’s start with the basic anatomy, a wine glass has three major components: the bowl, the stem and the foot. The bowl is the most important part of the glass since it tends to greatly impact the aromas of the wine. The bowl, also known as the cup, is responsible for holding the wine and allowing it to be swirled. The aromas of the wine are either captured or released immediately depending on the wine cup. The broader wine bowl allows the sine to be swirled more freely, causing greater aromas to be released. Wine aromas make the wine experience more fulfilling and hence it is important that the aromas are fully released. The wider bowls of the glassware allow the aromas to be released and hence red wines are often served in glassware with wider bowls. Although wider bowls allow easy swirling of the wine and maximum release of the aroma, they also tend to cause wine spillage. In order to prevent wine spillage, the rim of the glass is narrower as compared to the remaining body of the bowl. Wines like white wines taste better if their aromas are collected and hence, they are served in a wine glass with a narrow bowl. Depending on the type of wine being served, it is important that the wine bowl is chosen accordingly.
The stem gives the height to the wine glass and allows the drinker to easy hold the glass. It connects the bowl and the foot and hence is available as contemporary designs. The foot is the base of the glass which provides the structure with stability. Although the bowl of the wine glass is the most important part of the glassware, the stem and foot also provide the required shape and structure.
The different kinds of wine are served in different glassware, since the choice of wine glass tends to greatly impact the wine experience. However, most restaurants tend to serve a standard amount of wine irrespective of its type. 150 ml of red and white wines are considered as the standard amount of wine.
Different types of wine glass for different wines:
Red and white wines are fairly common and have specific wine glasses in which they are served, however it is important to realize that the specific kind of glassware is required for special variety wines.
Red Wine Glass:
Red wines contain greater content of alcohol and volatile contents, which upon evaporation release aroma. The wine experience is made more luxurious and fulfilling when the taste of the wine is coupled with the evaporating aroma. Hence, the wine glass chosen for serving red wine often has a wider bowl. The wider bowl provides the drink with greater surface area, hence allowing the wine to breathe and release aroma. Swirling of the drink also plays an important part in combining different aromas and releasing them. The wider bowls along with the narrow rim allow the drinker to easily swirl the drink without causing wine spillage.
White Wine Glass:
As compared to red wines, white wine is often served in a glass with a much narrower bowl since it requires to be at a specific temperature in order to taste buttery and oaky. The narrower and taller bowl allows the wine to remain cool and to slide down the drinkers’ throat while releasing its aromas. In order to experience the bold flavors of the wine, it is important that it is served is a U-shaped glass since that allows the temperature to remain cool.
Rose Wine Glass:
Although, rose wines are extremely similar to white wines and can be served in glasses appropriate for white wines, however serving them in Rose wine specific glasses adds to their fruity and sweet flavors. The glasses apt for Rose wines have narrow bowls but are shorter in length. They are slightly tapered with a flared rim, causing the wine to come in contact with the tongue immediately. This causes the drinker to experience the fruity and sweet flavors when they sip the fine.
Sparkling Glass:
Champagne gets its fizz and tingling aroma from the bubbles which need to be preserved to ensure the fruity flavor of the wine. In order to prevent excessive and quick evaporation, the champagne flutes have narrower bowls with a longer stem. This allows the fizz and the drink to remain fresh and fruity for a longer time.
The Wine Drinking Experience with an All Purpose Wine Glass:
Although, wine glass makes a huge difference and greatly impacts the quality and the taste of wine, however the all-purpose, universal wine glass can be used for different kinds of wines. The universal wine glasses are designed in such a way that irrespective of the wine, they allow the drinker to experience the aroma and taste fully. The bowls of the all-purpose wine glass are medium sized which are suitable for all kinds of wines. However, unlike the traditional round bottom, the bowls usually have a square shaped base. What is the best all purpose wine glass? Close contenders can be Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Cabernet Glass and Riedel Vinum Grand Cru Riesling/Zinfandel Wine Glass. These wine glasses are relatively inexpensive and have sharp edges to release the aroma of red wines. Moreover, their tapered rims cause the drinker to enjoy the mixed flavors of the drink fully.
In order to enjoy the wine fully and live its flavors and aroma, it is important to select the apt wine glass. Different kinds of wine tend to taste very differently depending on the glassware, hence understanding the wine and glassware is extremely important.