Home > Learning Center > Wine Glasses

Wine Glasses

Wine glasses all have one common characteristic, the stem. The purpose of the stem on a wine glass is to keep the wine chilled if it is a white or champagne, and it is also to keep the glass clean from fingerprints allowing inspection of the wine through the glass and providing a better presentation. It also allows for that proper clink when a toast is made.

Other than the stem however, the shape of wine glasses provides for much different tastes. A red wine glass has a wide bowl and mouth. This allows the wine to oxidize which can subtly change the flavor of a red wine, making it less bitter and rounding out the taste of a complex wine. They wine can easily be swirled in a red wine glass, promoting oxidation as well as being able to view the “legs” the wine leaves running down the glass, a way of detecting the potency of a wine.
White wine glasses have a much narrower opening and smaller bowl. A white wine does not need to breathe like a red, oxidation is not encouraged for an already smooth white wine so there is less surface area when the wine is poured. A champagne glass, or flute, has an even smaller opening preserving the carbonation.

The size of the mouth on the glass also directs where the wine will be tasted in the mouth, a flute will put the wine onto the tip of the tongue while a wide red wine glass will pour the wine further back in the mouth, allowing the bitterness to be tasted. 

Wine | Organic | Learning Center | Site Map | Links | Contact | Home

Copyright © 2010