When choosing your wine for a dinner party or event, you may not think about what glassware you are going to serve it in or even think that it is important. Surely it's the wine that needs to be good? Well, glassware does matter. We believe it's just as important as the actual wine you are serving.
Think about the whole wine experience. A good wine glass helps to create a better experience, it's all about first impressions and they really do matter. Before you even taste the wine your senses are working, the wine needs to be presented so it looks good and with good quality glassware, the feel is important too.
There are four main parts to a wine glass. Each plays its own part in the equation...
The foot – Importantly, keeps your wine glass upright to avoid spillage....
The stem – Part of the glass which should be held to avoid unnecessary heating of the wine from your hands especially if you are drinking chilled wine. It also helps keep any fingerprints and dirty marks off the bowl.
The bowl – The bowl holds your wine, size and shape will vary from glass to glass. The majority of bowls will be larger at the bottom and will taper into a narrower opening at the top.
The rim – The most important part of the wine glass – the part where you drink from. A thinner rim is more desirable as it will cause less distraction when sipping on the wine.
When choosing your glassware, think about what wine you are going to serve...
White Wine
Lighter whites such as Pinot Grigio, Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc and Albariño are best served in a smaller bowled glass that tapers in at the top. The smaller bowl helps keep the wine temperature cooler as well as maintaining the delicate floral and fruit aromas and flavours.
Fuller bodied whites including Chardonnay, Viognier, Semillon and Marsanne benefit from a larger bowled glassware.
Red Wine
Generally a larger bowled glass is better for red wine. The larger surface area allows the wine to open up and bring out its flavours. The larger surface area means the wine has greater contact to the air around it, which aids the overall profile of the wine by aerating it and making it open up.
Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wine including Champagne, Prosecco and Cava is best served in a long flute shaped glass which tapers in at the top. This keeps the bubbles and delicate flavours from being released from of the glass. Alternatively and especially if you are drinking vintage Champagne, a white wine glass can be used to serve sparkling wine. The larger glass allows richer flavoured sparklers to breath and helps open up their flavours. Neither way is wrong, it just comes down to your personal preference.
Dessert Wine
Dessert or sweet wines are best served in a small glass with a narrow rim to keep in all the intense aromas and flavours. Think about what a typical Port glass looks like and you'll be on your way.
Experiment and see for yourself – Try pouring the same wine into a variety of different shaped and sized glasses and see how the flavours change from glass to glass. Don't forget, it is all about personal preference at the end of the day so if you prefer drinking a lighter white wine out of a larger red wine glass then go for it!
It's not just about the wine glasses, don't forget your decanters.
Top tips on cleaning glassware...
Hand wash – always, always, always hand wash your wine glasses, not only does it help prevent the glasses from turning cloudy, it also minimises damage caused to the glasses which may occur in the dishwasher.
Don't leave cleaning liquids in the glass and always make sure they are well rinsed and free from any soap or bubbles. If not, this will affect the taste of your wine when you next use the glass.
The best way to clean your wine glass is to wash in soapy water, rinse thoroughly with clean, hot water to get rid of all cleaning products. Leave upside down on a clean cloth for a minute to drain and dry, then polish up with a clean, dry glass cloth.
Riedel Glassware
"The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound. I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make." Robert M. Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate.
Riedel glassware is a great example of how to do glassware and we are delighted to be stockists. If you are interested in upgrading your glassware collection and would like more information, or are looking for the perfect Christmas gift for that wine lover in your life, please give me a call in the office on 01325 776446 to discuss.
