Wine Glass Types – The Top 3
Thursday, November 19th, 2009The type of glass that you drink a certain wine from is not something most people think matters. There will no change in the way it tastes right? Well, increasingly people are favouring having a selection of different types of glass for enjoying a selection of wines.Mr Riedel (the famous wine ware producer) has his grandfather to thank for the different shaped glasses as he first came up with the concept of altering the size and shapes for better drinking. Since then many people have argued that there is a marked variation in tasting experience. Shaun Green, buyer for San Francisco based Wine Merchant K & L is someone who believes in this passionately, saying It really does make a difference. Riedel now have over 40 different types of wine glasses, but if you cant afford, or havent got space for these glasses, what ones are vital to own?
Red Wine – You really need a big-bowled smooth and basic glass for the drinking of red wine. This provides room to swirl the drink around the glass and set free its flavour. It also allows you to fit the whole nasal area into the glass to soak up the rich aromas. This is a characteristic that is also seen in a whisky glass
White Wine A smaller-bowled glass with a higher rim is needed for drinking white wine. This prevents any of the precious aroma from lifting over the edge of the glass and keeps the flavours tightly wrapped up before they enter the mouth.
Champagne The long thin iconic shape of champagne glasses is needed to drink this luxury product. The narrow circumference stops any of the powerful aromas from overpowering the sinuses whilst drinking and the long body preserves the bubbles best.
Pretty much every one of the wines on the market today can be enjoyed from one of these three glass shapes so make sure you have those at least. So if you don’t own these 3, you’re not getting the best from your wines.
