Types of Wine Glasses
Different types of wine have to be served in different types of glasses in order to ensure that their aroma, color, and taste remain intact. Wine glasses can be broadly classified into red wine glasses, white wine glasses, and champagne flutes. All-purpose glasses are available that can be used to serve any type of wine.
Wine tumblers have become popular in recent times. In addition to these there are other types of glasses made of different materials in various sizes, shapes, and designs that make wine consumption an enjoyable experience.
With the exception of hock glass wine glasses are generally not colored or frosted. Colored glass prevents you from appreciating the beauty of wine color. High quality wine glasses are generally made of lead crystal. Lead crystal has a high refractive index and affects the nature of light passing through it. It is aesthetically attractive. It is heavier and coarser than glass allowing the wine to oxidize when poured into the bowl.
Red Wine Glasses
Red wine glasses have a large round bowl and wide mouth. This shape allows more oxygen to interact with the wine and hastens the process of oxidation. Heat of your hand is transferred to the wine as it touches the bowl. This allows you to consume the red wine at room temperature with its aroma, bouquet, and flavor intact. There are two styles of red wine glass – Bordeaux glass and burgundy glass.
Bordeaux glass: It is tall with a broad bowl. This shape directs the wine to the back of the palate where the taste can be properly appreciated. It is best suited for full bodied red wines like cabernet sauvignon and syrah.
Burgundy glass: It has a broader bowl than the Bordeaux glass and is best suited to consume delicate red wines like pinot noir. Shape of this glass directs wine to the tip of tongue so that the aroma is unaltered and flavor is better absorbed.
White Wine Glasses
White wine glasses generally have a narrow mouth with a small bowl. The small bowl facilitates slow oxidation due to lesser surface area and helps in maintaining the flavor and taste of the wine intact. Heat of the hand will not pass on to the glass due to the small bowl and this helps in maintaining a low temperature.
Champagne Flutes
These glasses have a long stem with narrow bowl on the top. The narrow bowl helps maintain the effervescent nature of the wine due to reduced surface area. The long stem makes the glass visually attractive and prevents the heat of hand from passing on to the wine.
