There are many subtleties to wine tasting that need to be addressed and one such subtlety is choosing the right wine tasting glass. One feature that you need to be very careful about in this regard is the shape of the wine tasting glass which if it is not right will make a difference on the taste of the wine. It is this aspect to wine tasting glasses that requires that you choose different wine glasses for different types of wines.
Putting Your Nose Into The Glass
To get the most out of wine tasting you will need to choose a pair of clear wine tasting glasses. What’s more, if you taste different wines you will need to, in between each change of wine, rinse out the wine tasting glasses so that flavors are not masked. The more advanced among wine tasters even go as far as to choose their own special wine tasting glasses and the main difference between these glasses and the ones used by less accomplished wine tasters is that the former have to be large enough to allow for the taster’s nose to enter the glass.
Two of the best wine tasting glasses are the SADE red wine glass and the MILANO balloon goblets and these two varieties go a long way in making it easier to make comparisons of different types of aromas as well as of the flavors. Essentially, the wine tasting glass should be made from clear glass and it should be held against a white colored background so that it is possible to closely examine the wine’s color.
Since the color of wine says a lot about the wine you need to be sure that you do not make a mistake in checking out the color of the wine. To be safe, it is advisable to select an ISO wine tasting glass as this will ensure that you can do the tasting of the wine in an impersonal as well as objective manner.
The right wine tasting glass can help you decide on characteristics of the wine being tasted and it will also allow you to decide whether or not the wine in question is ripe or balanced as well as whether or not it is typical of the wine’s origin. Wine tasting is a demanding activity and this can be judged from the fact that there are more than six thousand wineries in the US alone which means that there are more than enough opportunities to enjoy some exciting wine tasting experiences. In this regard, it might come as a big surprise for most Americans to learn that in the US, each state has a minimum of one winery.
Red wine glasses are characterized by their rounder, wider bowl, to give the wine a chance to breathe. The more mature and full-bodied the wine, the wider the bowl of the wine glass. The wider bowl not only promotes oxygenation or breathing but also the development of the aromas.
Since most red wines are meant to be consumed at room temperature, the wider bowl also allows the red wine to cool more quickly after hand contact has warmed it. The stem of a red wine glass is an important feature as it provides a way to hold the glass without warming the wine from body heat. It also prevents fingerprints from smearing the wine glass, and makes the glass easier to swirl.
Red wine glass sizes usually vary from under 9 ounces (270 ml) up to 14 ounces (415 ml). The shape of the red wine glass is very important, as it concentrates the aroma (or bouquet) to emphasize the varietal’s characteristic. The shape of the red wine glass also directs the wine itself into the best area of the mouth from the varietal. In general, the opening of the red wine glass is not wider than the widest part of the bowl. Whereas shape can greatly enhance the enjoyment of the wine, design can make the experience a visual feast.
The large tulip or narrowing goblet is the most useful as it allows swirling but has a narrow opening to concentrate the aroma or bouquet. Many wine drinkers call this shape their red or all-purpose glass. These glasses are mostly used for Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Large format glasses allow the maximum exposure to air for a big or closed wine. They also add a note of drama to the table when a very special wine is served. This is often the only glass for big red aficionados. Also considered a chardonnay glass because of the white Burgundy lineage. These glasses are mostly used for Burgundy, Grand Cru, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
There is also an ISO red wine glass, ISO stands for International Standards Organisation. The glasses are made to a particular size, shape and standard for a specific use. It’s rounded shape and smoothness gives an ideal relationship between surface area and volume. The tapered bowl allows free circulation of wine and the funnelling of its vapours. The ISO glass is mostly used for wine tasting. The glass is maybe a little bit small for drinking wine.
Orrefors Glassworks and other glassworks that makes hand blown glasses, have refined the design of wine glasses with unique size and shape for most wines. Orrefors red wine glasses are crafted to match the varietal quality of an array of red wines. The proper red wine glass has the ability to highlight the regal flavor of Cabernet Sauvignon, the elusive perfume of Pinot Noir, the fruity Pinotage, and the brooding power of a Burgundy.
Hand blown wine glasses with design has been popular because of the visual beauty and feeling. Hand blown red wine glasses results in a better vessel, with a thinner lip, and is usually acceptable for casual wine drinkers. If you’re looking for red wine glass ideas for your home, visit http://www.midnightsun-designs.com
When you have to clean the wine glasses, try not to use soap. Instead use hot water and rinse thoroughly. Soap can become trapped within the glass release soapy odors.
by Bjorn Ingbrandt
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Everything You Wanted To Know About Wine Glasses But Were Afraid To Ask
A Brief History of the Wine Glass
Wine glasses have been used since ancient times.
Pliny (23-79 A.D.) wrote about gold and silver drinking vessels being abandoned in favor of glass, and they were frequently priced as high as the precious metal versions. Bonifacio Veronese’s sixteenth-century ‘Last Supper’ includes modern style wine glasses with a stem and foot. The oldest surviving European wine glasses with a stem and foot are fifteenth-century enameled goblets (a goblet is a glass holding more than four ounces of liquid).Near the end of the sixteenth-century in Germany sophisticated engraved decoration was applied to covered wine glasses.
The earliest surviving English wine glasses are diamond-engraved glasses that were produced near the end of the sixteenth-century by Verzelini. Plain straight stems gained popularity around 1740, with air twist stems being introduced about the same time. Ten years later a twist incised on the exterior of the stem became popular.
Quality crystal wine glasses were being produced in France near the end of the eighteenth-century.
Cordial glasses in the eighteenth-century had bowls of the same shapes that were typical for wine glasses, but they were much smaller, holding about one ounce.
Toast masters glasses were made with a thicker bottom and walls so that they would hold less. A toast master had to drain every glass and still be able to remain standing till all toasts were completed.
Wine glasses during the nineteenth-century were often produced in sets - with a dozen each of port and sherry, burgundy and claret, champagne glasses and liqueur glasses.
More recently, in the 1950s, Riedel Crystal and other stemware manufacturers have refined wine glass design to the point of having a unique size and shape for almost every wine variation.Wine glasses are made for drinking wine, of course, but people are creative and have found other uses ranging from combining several wine glasses to construct a glass harp to using stemware in a similar manner to provide sound education.
Choosing Wine Glasses
There really is no right or wrong glass for wine tasting - or for drinking wine for that matter. However, there are some glasses that are better than others for evaluating wines. First of all, we like to suggest using glasses that you are comfortable using. Aesthetics aside, there are really only two things to remember when considering a wine tasting glass: the size of the glass and the overall shape of the glass.
The more universally used tasting glass is called a chimney shape. Broader on the bottom of the bowl, it tapers upward to a smaller opening. The broader bottom will enable you to hold enough wine and give you plenty of room to swirl the wine, while the smaller opening at the top will help to trap and focus the aromas, allowing you enough of a scent to assess the wine.
Size Doesn’t Matter
For the most part, if your glass is of this shape, the actual size of the glass is not important other than it needs to be big enough and have a big enough opening for you to be able to get your nose inside to really smell the wine. Some people swear by large "Burgundy" style glasses that allow as much of the wine to come in contact with the air as possible, therefore releasing as many of the aromas and flavors as possible. Others like the convenience and ease of use of a smaller glass. Other considerations that will enhance your tasting experience include glassware that is clear (no colors) and free of cuts or engravings within the glass.
Many glass manufacturers have designed specific glasses for specific wine types or varietals, taking in to account different aspects of the individual wine type. While this is wonderful, it is not a necessary purchase for a complete wine tasting. The top producer of these specialized wine glasses is an Austrian crystal company named Riedel (pronounced REE-dle). They are exquisite and expensive.
Cleaning Wine Glasses
When it comes time to clean your glassware, try to avoid using soap. Instead use hot water and rinse thoroughly. Soap can become trapped within the glass release soapy odors the next time you use it. Although you may become quite proficient at identifying various brands of dish soap, this ability and the soapy glasses that taught you will not add to the enjoyment of a good glass of wine.
To summarize, it’s important that you find good glassware for your wine tasting experiences, but "good" does not necessarily mean "expensive." Find glassware that you are comfortable with and adequately serves its purpose: presenting wine for your evaluation and enjoyment.
Tips For Serving Wine
You’ve probably heard many conflicting and complicated instructions throughout the years on the proper way to get wine from the store to your glass. It doesn’t have to be that hard. Here are the basics of serving wine, which are all you really need.
Many customs have accompanied wine drinking through the years. None of them are meant to be intimidating or stuffy. They are just practices intended to enhance the enjoyment of wine.
- "White wine with fish and red wine with meat" is more customary than culinary.
- Red wines are served at room temperature, while white wines, roses, and champagnes are served chilled.
- The stronger the food, the stronger the wine. The lighter the food, the lighter the wine.
- Wine loves air, which revives its sleeping flavors. It is recommended to open the bottle about an hour before consumption and let the wine "breathe". This ages it a year or so, and allows its flavors to mellow.
- A bottle of wine has to be handled carefully, with the minimum movement possible. Remember, wine likes to sleep, only to awaken in your mouth.
- Red wine bottles do not need to be cleaned or dusted before opening. They are opened on a hard surface. White wines, rose, and Champagne bottles are opened in ice buckets.
- Red wines corks are sniffed to make sure the wine has not spoiled, which gives the cork an unpleasant smell. It is not necessary to smell white and rose wine corks since the wine was refrigerated and the cork will not smell.
Ideal Serving Temperatures For Serving Wine
On the subject of temperature - you may have heard that red wine should be served at room temperature and that white wine should be slightly chilled before serving. These recommendations originated at a time when "room temperature" was lower than is typical today.
Full-bodied and tannic red wines are best enjoyed at not more than 64F (18C) and clarets, Pinot Noirs (including burgundies), and then the modern reds - soft, light, fruity and relatively tannin-free for drinking young, at progressively cooler temperatures - down to about 54F (12C).
White wines are ideally served between 43F (6C) to 52F (11C). Red wine or white wine, err on the cool side as they will warm quickly on the table and in the glass.
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Many wine experts say that wine must be served in the best wine crystal glasses to get its full blessing, although not of necessity. There are a few central principles to keep in mind when choosing wine crystal glasses that will help one get the utmost from their favorite bottle. It is however true, that the aroma, appearance, and even the taste of the wine is enhanced through using the proper wine crystal glass.
The oldest wine glass with a stem and foot that are fifteenth century enamel glass holds more than four ounces of liquid. Near the end of the sixteenth century in Germany, wine glasses were etched as decoration. France introduced fine wine crystal glasses at the end of the eighteenth century.
Wine crystal glasses were frequently fabricated in sets of dozen during the nineteenth century, each set for burgundy and claret, port and sherry, liqueur glasses, and champagne glasses. In the 1950’s, Reidel Crystal and some other manufacturers advanced the design of wine crystal glasses with unique shape and sizes for nearly all wine variant.
When choosing wine crystal glasses, always remember to first select a plain crystal glass to accent your best wines. Do without colored or even those wine crystal glasses that have tinted bases or stems. One of the most essential things to consider when choosing a wine crystal glass is the way aromas are captured within the wine glass. Glasses with a wide bowl that narrow toward the mouth will allow more room for swirling and the narrow mouth channels the aroma to the nostrils efficiently, unlike large glass openings that disperse aroma rapidly.
Red wines are usually served in larger glasses than white wine because they need more space to develop and breathe, but take note that a wine crystal glass can never be too large. Sparkling wines should be provided in thin glasses with straight side so that the bubble is retained. An all-purpose wine glass has been developed by the California Wine Institute. The wine glass is a five and a half-inch tall glass with one and three quarter-inch stem, with a tulip-shaped bowl that holds a capacity of up to eight ounces.
How to set wine glasses at dinner is also a consideration when serving different types of wine all through the course. Wine glasses should be positioned in the right order they are to be used and right to left. Starting with tall stemmed glass for white wines, followed by big wine glasses for red wine, and ending in short smaller glasses for sherry or port, may be a good idea.
Always remember that regardless the type of wine served, the right wine crystal glass will enhance the features of the wine and will allow a more enjoyable wine drinking.
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Two of the best wine tasting glasses are the SADE red wine glass and the MILANO balloon goblets and these two varieties go a long way in making it easier to make comparisons of different types of aromas as well as of the flavors. Essentially, the wine tasting glass should be made from clear glass and it should be held against a white colored background so that it is possible to closely examine the wine’s color.
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Red wine glass sizes usually vary from under 9 ounces (270 ml) up to 14 ounces (415 ml). The shape of the red wine glass is very important, as it concentrates the aroma (or bouquet) to emphasize the varietal’s characteristic. The shape of the red wine glass also directs the wine itself into the best area of the mouth from the varietal. In general, the opening of the red wine glass is not wider than the widest part of the bowl. Whereas shape can greatly enhance the enjoyment of the wine, design can make the experience a visual feast.
Quality crystal wine glasses were being produced in France near the end of the eighteenth-century.
Red wines are usually served in larger glasses than white wine because they need more space to develop and breathe, but take note that a wine crystal glass can never be too large. Sparkling wines should be provided in thin glasses with straight side so that the bubble is retained. An all-purpose wine glass has been developed by the California Wine Institute. The wine glass is a five and a half-inch tall glass with one and three quarter-inch stem, with a tulip-shaped bowl that holds a capacity of up to eight ounces.