As it is Wine Week, I thought I would revisit the topic of wine glasses. Do some wine glasses enhance the wine better than others? Would you invest in expensive wine glasses? Are all 'good' wine glasses expensive?
In my opinion, yes, the 'glass' makes a difference. Try it for yourself. Pour the same wine into two different glasses and taste the difference.
In a previous post, back in 2009, I outlined some of the attributes of a wine glass that may or may not contribute to the tasting experience.
• 1. The size and shape of the bowl - The larger the bowl the better the wine's aromas can circulate and manifest themselves. Glassware intended for red wine tends to be bigger, since red wines need more time and air to open up. Beyond this, anything regarding the bowl shape and size is a personal consideration.
• 2. The stem length - The stem of the glass allows us to hold the glass without having our hand on the actual bowl and 'interfere' with the wine's temperature. No more, no less. Stem length is a personal as well as practical consideration. Longer stems look elegant, but break more easily and are more difficult to load in a dishwasher, and to store. Shorter stems are more practical, especially for everyday use.
• 3. Stemless - Stemless wine glasses have become very popular. This is a good thing, as they are practical, especially for everyday and casual wine-drinking occasions. I am a total convert.
• 4. Fine lead crystal or regular glass - The finer the crystal the thinner the glass. This does make a huge difference. Fine, lead crystal really does enhance the wine drinking experience. However, these are expensive glasses. Today, thanks to modern technology, we can find lots of non-lead but fine crystal glasses
• 5. Plain, colored or etched - In general plain, unadorned glasses are better for serious tasting, as they allow you to examine all the visual aspects of the wine such as the color -- its intensity as well as viscosity. However, most wine drinking situations are not 'serious tastings' so feel free to have some fun, add some color - whatever you prefer.
• 6. Champagne/sparkling wine flutes - The 'flute' shaped glass has long been considered the best for Champagne and sparkling wines as it allows the wine to manifest its bubbles with greatest intensity and duration. However, if you really want to savor the aromas and flavors I recommend using regular white wine glasses, which have a wider bowl and mouth, which enables the wine to better open up. Your bubbles may seem to dissipate more quickly, but you will still taste their sensation in your mouth. According to Wine Enthusiast, a leading supplier of wine glasses and accessories, the traditional 'coupe' is making a big come-back for Champagne and all things sparkling.
• 7. The occasion matters - Another factor that is also important is the occasion. Do you need the glasses for a large gathering? For an outdoor event or picnic? Maybe you are worried about breakage, but don't want cheap plastic. Read on there are options.
Look for a roundup of some of my favorite wine glasses and brands a little later this week.
Enjoy Wine Week at The Kitchn!
Mary Gorman-McAdams, MW (Master of Wine), is a New York based wine educator, freelance writer and consultant.
Related: Are Stemmed Wine Glasses Necessary?
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I am so not a snob, but I do like my wine. I can't stand drinking out of thick wine glasses or narrow openings. We are always breaking or losing our "good" glasses, so my husband knows I get the "good" one and he'll take the wanky one when we're pouring.
When we got married, we purchased a set of 12 all purpose wine glasses from Ikea because really, the thought of having expensive wine glasses frightens me. My husband is a bigger wine drinker than I am, he doesn't really care about the glasses either. The only other stemware we have are a set of 4 beautiful and modest balloon glasses that were gifted to us.
I would like have some champagne glasses, but I have no room for those. I use those more pricey clear plastic cocktail cups instead.
I am a notorious wine glass breaker. I break glasses, then feel bad about breaking them. To solve this problem, I went to Goodwill and bought 8 mismatching vintage wine glasses, all etched in some way so they at least coordinate. Now every time I break a glass, I don't feel bad about it, and I just pick up a new etched glass at Goodwill to replenish the herd!
Why does having fine lead crystal make for a better experience?
Clampers, I bet they look beautiful placed all over the place during dinner or parties.
Crate and Barrel carries super thin lead-free handmade glasses. Very breakable, but very thin, nonetheless.
Also, I do like the look of coupes. They have a more vintage feel than flutes.
Highly recommend Riedel Overture red, white, champagne. Can be washed in bottom rack of dishwasher. Must haves!
So for #3, you say "The stem of the glass allows us to hold the glass without having our hand on the actual bowl and 'interfere' with the wine's temperature."
Then you go on to recommend stemless glasses?
I'm not one to come on and criticize, but I don't understand how stemless can be a good choice, but having a stem is vital.
Or, does it all just not matter? :)
(Like Clampers, I will break most wine glasses I meet, starting with the most expensive.)
@Lavender-Rose, in my wine certification classes, we learned that crystal has a rougher surface than plain glass, so it helps to aerate the wine better when you swirl it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_glass#Materials
Like Anita83, my wife and I have a set of six IKEA glasses that are probably intended for white (we use them for both). I like the shape and size, I like that my break-prone wife hasn't managed to break even one, and I like that they offer portion control (my standard visually-appealing pour into one of the glasses comes out around 2.5 oz, so seconds are okay). We also have two crystal champagne flutes that were given to us when we got married. That's the best of both worlds for us.
Slightly off-topic, but about wine: why isn't a wine bottle shaken before opening? It would aerate the wine tremendously, and most wines don't have a residue at the bottom. Someone once told me shaking would "bruise the wine," but then he admitted he just made that up.
It seems like a weird concept, but wouldn't it make the wine taste better?
I think wine needs oxygen in order to aerate. The word aerate itself implies "air." My assumption, anyway.
Maybe it's my minor OCD coming out here, but I can't stand how fingerprint-y stemless glasses get. We do drink wine occasionally out of small tumblers more meant for Scotch because they're pretty, but they're etched and less easily marked by finger oils.
@annstarrr - the bottle is supposed to let sediment settle, which is one of the reasons you are "supposed" to decant the bottle. Shaking it would negate that whole process!
Whatever you choose, eschew the wretched little Paris goblet, favourite of the hired caterer and the student party, that hideous little tennis ball of a glass condemned by George Reidel himself as “the enemy of wine”. A glass too thick and too small to enhance the flavour, too shallow and open to enhance the bouquet, and too mimsy to suggest generosity.
The Sediment Blog
I just want a nice sized bowl, a bit of a stem, and NO THICK RIM!
I never drink wine nice enough to benefit from the possibly slightly rougher surface of a lead crystal glass. For me, stemless glasses from Target do the trick. They're more stable on a coffee table occasionally shared with cats and go easily into my cabinets and dishwasher. Since I'm not constantly holding the glass (like I would be at a cocktail party), there's no worry about my hand warming the wine. Oh, and they work well for beer too!
I think the moral of the story here is that there's no "right" glass and personal preference matters more than anything else.
@annstarrr I don't think there's enough air in the ullage (head space; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ullage_%28wine%29) in a wine bottle to successfully aerate it by shaking before opening. Also, you don't want to go stirring up the sediments or tartrate crystals.
*@annstarrr (left off one "r"!)
So stemless is still fine? Whew. Good to know.
Thought it might affect the temperature of the wine...someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
http://www.organic-cocktail-recipes.com/wine-temperature.htm
I'd have to disagree very strongly with your statememnt about stemless glasses, while these have a less pronounced effect on the temperature of white as explained on Wine Experts Guide article do glasses matter