Why Is It Important to Pick the Right Wine Glass?
Fair to say, winemaking requires a lot of skill. Each step is pivotal in directing the final flavour of the wine. Right from the terroir in which your grapes are grown, to the techniques used to extract juices, to fermentation, bottling, and aging. Everything influences taste. Including up to the moment you pour and sip your wine.
This would make wine drinking an art, so yes, you can call yourself an artist. Like any great wine artist, be sure to swirl the wine around your glass, give it a big smell to appreciate its unique aroma, before finally sipping and allowing the wine to coat your palate. But, as a wine artist, which glasses are we reaching for?
Different Types of Wine Glasses Based on Wine Type
Whilst tannins, aromas, acidity, and carbonation are all considered before opening the bottle, the shape of the wine glass you sip from decides how the wine interacts with the current environment. And it can greatly influence your overall taste of the wine.
Red Wine Glasses
When you allow your red wine to aerate, the oxygen enhances the complex flavours and aromas giving you the best tasting result from your wines. So, you will find that red wine glasses have a larger bowl-shaped base, with a wider opening to sip from. This is to encourage airflow into the wine. When sipping red wine in red wine glasses, the wine flavours get directed to the mid-palate on your tongue giving the most delightful experience, particularly with cabernet sauvignons and merlots.
White Wine Glasses
With white wines, it is important to preserve the delicate aromas and maintain cooler temperatures. This is the focal point when serving varietals such as chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. The narrow rim of white wine glasses directs the wine to the front of the palate ensuring you enjoy the flavours of the white wines in the best way. How delicious.
Sparkling Wine Glasses
A big part of the champagne and prosecco experience is the beautiful effervescence. To maintain all those bright bubbles, sparkling wine glasses have a tall, narrow base with a long stem to maintain the carbonation and showcase effervescence. The beautiful elongated shape also keeps the wine cool and directs the wine flavours right to the tip of the tongue. You may also know them as flute glasses.
Bordeaux Glasses
These red wine glasses are used to serve red wine varietals with strong and complex flavours like cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Similar to other red wine glasses these too have a large bowl supporting aeration and allowing the wine to first reach the back of the palate for the best sipping experience.
Burgundy Glasses
Burgundy wines are renowned for lighter colour, medium-high acidity and light tannins and include varietals like pinot noir and chardonnay. These glasses have a wider bowl and larger opening to allow maximum aeration, accentuating the wine's delicate aromas and directing them to the front and sides of the palate.
Chardonnay Glasses
Chardonnays are best served in their designated glasses, as opposed to using classic white wine glasses. Why? Chardonnay glasses have a slightly wider bowl than traditional white wine glasses, allowing extra airflow and aeration to soften the wine's acidity and enhance its creamy texture while directing the flavours to the mid-palate.
Excellence Not Adequacy With Wine Glasses
Just like eating spaghetti with a fork, instead of a spoon, the right wine glass will elevate your entire wine-drinking experience. With this guide, you can transform every wine experience into a great one! Cheers to that.