Have you Chosen the Right Wine Glass?

Are you the host of the party tonight? Well, do you intend to serve wine to your guest? I am sure you would not consider serving wine in plastic disposable cups, right? However, let me inform you that there are many wine drinkers who are quite ignorant regarding choosing the right wine glass for their favorite wines. It is true that the kind of wine glass you choose has a significant effect on the taste and aroma of the wine. Experts say that the size and shape of the wine glass can drastically alter the taste of the wine.

The knowledge behind wine glasses:

When you pour wine into the glass, it reacts with the oxygen in the air and softens the harsh tannins found in the wine. Therefore, it is recommended that red wine should be decanted and should be exposed to the fresh air before serving. For instance, if you choose a glass with a large diameter, you are allowing the wine to stay in a larger surface area as well as allowing a larger percentage of oxygen to wine and thus enhancing the rate of oxidation. In a nutshell, larger bowl or surface area will allow the flavor of the wine to be smoothened out much more rapidly than in small glasses.

To mix the wine and oxygen properly, wine should be gently swirled in the glass. However swirling the wine in a small thinner glass is more difficult; therefore, red wine should be typically served in a glass with a larger diameter.

Different parts of a wine glass:

These types of glasses are made to taste and drink wine. It is made of three parts which are important parts of wine affecting the overall taste of your wine.

Bowl:

Bowl is the upper section of the wine glass and is the most important component of a wine glass. You get various bowl shapes for wine glasses that allow an enhancement on how the aroma and flavor of the wine are received.

Stem:

The stem is the midsection of the glass that let you handle your wine glass. Wine should be served at a certain temperature to get its optimal taste. Holding the bowl of the glass changes the temperature of the wine and ultimately ruins the flavor due to body heat from your hand. Thus, stem keep your fingers from getting on the bowl of the glass for inspection of the wine as well as for visual appeal.

Base:

The crucial part of the wine glass is the base which supports the wine glass when standing upright.

Clear glass:

To make your wine look more attractive, clear and thinner glass is better than thick glasses as thick stemware can get very heavy.

Types of wine glasses:

White wine glasses:

White wine glasses have a typical slimmer shape. The bowl is thinner and the stem is taller on the white wine glass shape. As you have varieties of white wine, therefore, white wine glasses are available in different shapes. These types of wine glasses are made to enhance the flavor of any specific white wine. The full-bodied white wine glasses have a large bowl and taller stem to maintain the look and the optimal temperature of the wine. Maintaining the temperature of white wine is crucial and thus, should be kept between 43 to 50 degrees.

Red wine glasses:

The shape of the red wine glasses can be easily noticed because of its broader bowl and a shorter stem. This broader bowl shape is necessary for swirling and thus, more wine can be exposed to air which allows the essential flavor and aroma to get released. The longer the wine is exposed to the air the higher is the benefit it gets from oxygen because of the tannin level in it. Research shows that the shape of the red wine glasses with a wider mouth allows you to receive better flavor on certain sensors of the tongue for the real enjoyment of the wine. As this type of wine glass has a shorter stem, therefore, if the wine is served cold the glass can be held at the bowl to get the optimal temperature to enjoy your wine. It is ideal to serve red wine at approximately 55 to 63 degrees.

Champagne flutes:

The most popular type of white wine glass is champagne flute or sparkling wine glass. These glasses are taller and thinner than the average wine glass. The bowl of the glass is slimmer and taller to enhance the carbonation of the champagne while the stem is long like the typical white wine glass. The longer stem makes it easy for you to hold the glass without altering the temperature of the wine. Champagne is usually served cold at about 46 to 43 degrees.

The shape of each wine glass is unique and has its own benefits in the enjoyment of tasting wine. If you are looking for wine glasses, you can check with Libbey glasses that have immense varieties to drive you absolutely crazy.