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Choosing The Right Wine Glass To Enhance Fine Wines
by Fairfax Tolman
http://www.ftwine.com
One of the controversies surrounding the serving of wine is
whether or not the shape of the glass affects the taste of
the wine, and if so, how much?
While most experts agree that there is an glass shape for
serving fine wines, the camps are split on whether its
important to break down the shapes further into glasses for
serving white wines, red wines and further to those designed
specifically for particular varietals.
According the Riedel, the shape of the glass influences the
way that the vapors of natural evaporation are held in the
glass, and presented to the nose. It also subtly directs the
way that the wine is sipped and the area of the tongue or
mouth where the wine is first tasted. For nearly fifty
years, they have been developing glasses shaped specifically
to enhance every kind of wine, from Sauvignon to Chablis.
The glass making experts at Riedel Glass in Austria
disagree. Since 1958, when they first started their
experimentation with subtle variations of shape and design
in wine glasses, they have made an art of designing the
perfect glass in which to serve nearly every variety of
wine.
The company, founded by an Austrian family who have been
involved in the glassmaking industry since the 1700s, makes
fine lead crystal glasses. They claim that the shape of a
glass can subtly influence the presentation of fine wines by
gently emphasizing the most characteristic vapors and
collecting them in such a way that they are delivered to the
nose and the palate in a specific order.
As a very broad example, the company explains how when a
person takes a sip of wine from a glass with a broad mouth
he will naturally lower his head, tilting it forward. This
affects how the wine is taken into the mouth and the area of
the tongue where it first touches. By contrast, a glass with
a narrow mouth forces the person to lift their head and tilt
it back, thereby influencing the way that the wine is
smelled and tasted.
The best material for serving wine is lead crystal. Among
their other suggestions for the ideal wine glass are that it
should be colorless, transparent, have thin walls, be egg-
shapped with a wider base than rim, have a cut and polished
rim and have a stem so that the hand doesn't warm the
contents of the bowl.
Serve red wines in large glasses, with wide bowls and narrow
lips - the classic 'tulip' shape. Their full body benefits
from the openness to concentrate the vapors.
White wines should be served in taller, narrower glasses to
enhance their more delicate bouquet. Sparkling wines like
champagne should be served in tall, narrow flutes to
preserve their effervescence. The less surface area of the
wine exposed to air, the less of the bubbly you lose.
If you can only choose one glass, then the glass that you
choose should be a Bordeaux or Chardonnay glass, which are
nearly identical in shape. The differences are so minute
that even the most educated palate won't be able to tell any
difference in flavor or bouquet in wine served in either
glass.
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