Do you know How to choose the right wine glasses? Studies show that wine glasses do indeed affect the taste of your wine. If all you want is to get tipsy, then the type of wine glass you use might not be of great concern. However, if you want to enjoy the wine’s aroma and taste, you will have to choose your wine glasses carefully.
Different Glass Shapes for Different Wines
The base, stem, and of course the bowl, will affect the aroma and taste of the wine as you swirl and sip it.
Red Wines
Red wine needs more exposure for it to release its full aroma. You will, therefore, find wines such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon being taken in glasses with bigger bowls. If you are drinking a lighter style of red wines such as Pinot Noir and Tempranillo, drink them from a pear shaped glasses.
White Wines
White crispy wines are best if taken in glasses that are smaller and narrower. Such wines include Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. That is because they do not require much air to release their aroma. However, if they are aged, then chemical compounds change and they may need wine glasses similar to those used for red wine.
Champagne
If you want to enjoy your champagne, experts recommend that you either use Chardonnay glasses or Pinot Noir glasses. The choice depends on the prominent variety in the champagne. However, you should feel free to take it in whatever will give you the most pleasure. That is what drinking champagne is all about.
Wine Glass Size
You may admire those small, chunky wine glasses, but they are not ideal for drinking wine. For one, you cannot swirl your wine freely, unless you want to wear it as well. The other thing is that a good wine glass is one whose bowl takes at least a third of the bottle. If it can take half, that is even better.
Stem
The stem is the part of the glass that lets you hold it comfortably. If you want your wine to maintain its temperature, you should avoid stemless glasses. If you also like swirling your wine, the stemless glass is not for you.
The stemless glass is however aesthetically pleasing sometimes. Except when you smudge its bowl with your fingerprints as you hold it. Let just say that you have to be very skilled at holding a stemless glass to enjoy drinking from it. Otherwise, you will smudge it with fingerprints.
Glass Color
It could be possible that you love colored or glasses decorated with patterns. Well, you should avoid those when drinking wine. That is because wine is best enjoyed in its full natural color. Wines do change their color over time; you should be able to see and enjoy that as well.
Glass or Crystal?
If you like your wine chilled, then you should go for crystal glasses. Their stems are thin meaning your hand will not warm the wine glass easily. Crystal glasses are however easier to break because they have been spun thinner than glass. You should also be aware that crystal glasses may contain lead.
The lead is supposed to make the wine stick to the glass as you swirl to bring out its aroma. Wine glass companies such as Riedel say that the lead is perfectly contained within the crystal structure, and their crystal glasses are perfectly safe. Still, it is better to be aware of that fact.
There are also lead-free crystal wine glasses one can find on the market.
The glass or crystal does not change the chemical composition of the wine. It simply helps you to enjoy the aroma before you taste the wine as well as preserve the wine’s characteristics while you enjoy it. You are therefore best placed to decide how you want to enjoy your wine. However, if you are serving others, it is worth considering the above factors.