Aditya Malhotra
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How much do wine glasses matter? They matter a lot! We at GoodTimes take it upon ourselves to offer you this “Premier Guide to Types of Wine Glasses”. Wine glass shapes and sizes make a huge difference to how you will experience wines.
I remember when my grandmother would host dinner parties at home and she would always use only her best china and crystal wine glasses, God bless her soul. As I recall now, all she cared was if there was a white wine glass and a red wine glass and by today’s standards they would not have seemed ideal.
Today we operate on different parameters. We prefer bowl-shaped glasses, not only for their beneficial aromatic effects but also because they allow us to more easily swirl the liquids inside them. While some wine glass shapes work well for both red and white wines, a more exacting nose or palate could easily find more precise alternatives to highlight a chosen wine. Glass shapes change how you perceive the wine – from its bouquet to its body and alcohol to its tannins and acidity. Lighter, more elegant grape varieties and wine styles tend to benefit from smaller glasses. Fuller-bodied and more powerfully flavoured wines usually like to flex their presence in larger wine glasses.
Today’s wine folks have zeroed in on an “Universal” Bordeaux style glass that should work well for most red and white wines.
The Rim- Generally the opening of the glass, it isn’t wider than the widest part of the glass
The Bowl-The bowl or the cup is arguable the most important part of the glass. Self-explanatory as this is where the wine waits.
The Stem-This is what you hold when drinking wine. You do not hold or cup the bowl and warm the wine. This also gives the glass some height.
The Foot-Also known as the base, this provides stability for stemmed glasses.
White Wine Glass
A white wine glass is a more U shaped bowl than a red wine glass to preserve the aroma and maintain a cooler temperature. Its straight sides and smaller opening helps hold the delicate floral and citrus aromas. The long stem helps holding the wine so that the person’s hand doesn’t warm it.
Burgundy Glass
Burgundy wine glasses are broad with a big bowl to build up the aroma. Red wines usually have tannins, and this glass helps diminish these strong flavours because of this red wines are best served in large wine glasses. The balloon-shaped glass is perfect for capturing the complex characteristics of a light or medium- bodied red wine and allows plenty of space for swirling and sniffing, while the narrow rim holds in and maximises the aromas. Works great for Pinot Noirs!
Bordeaux Glass
The Bordeaux glass is taller than traditional red wine glasses, yet the bowl is not quite as large as Burgundy. It is designed for full bodied, heavier red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The height of the glass allows the wine to proceed directly to the back of the mouth to maximize its flavours. Robust red wines do well in this tall, generous bowl as the size encourages oxidation its straighter sides allow plenty of contact with air so the wine can breathe and develop. A Bordeaux glass is the ultimate all-round glass, versatile enough for most wine styles. If you want to buy one type of wine glass, then this it!
Dessert Wine Glass
A dessert wine glass is smaller and narrower to direct the wine to the back of the mouth so the sweetness does not overwhelm the palate. Dessert wines usually have a higher alcohol level hence the smaller glasses for a smaller portion serving.
