When it comes to wine, people are so selective in their choice that they forget the importance of the right glass, which is almost as crucial as what’s in it. Wine lovers know that there is a significant connection between the shape of the glass and the taste and aroma of the wine, although many people consider this completely irrelevant. Besides the visual experience, the shape and size of the glass truly affect its taste and smell.
You can easily verify this yourself by pouring the same wine into three different glasses and you will see that there are indeed differences.
If you’re a true aesthete and your budget allows, you’ll probably lean towards choosing crystal glasses. The crystalline structure allows the glass to be much thinner than glass, elevating the enjoyment of wine to a higher level because you feel like there is no barrier between you and the wine.
However, this comes with a price. Although well-made crystal retains strength, you must be very gentle when washing it due to its fragility, so if you’re not concerned about form and elegance, there are plenty of affordable glass alternatives. It’s also an extremely porous material, so hand washing of glasses is recommended, although there are a few manufacturers of lead-free crystal adapted for dishwasher use.
For a more enjoyable experience when drinking red wines, it is recommended to use glasses with a large opening and a wide base, allowing the wine greater access to oxygen, and you to more easily perceive its scents and aromas. The most famous such glass is the Bordeaux, which stands out with its length, enabling the softening of the harsh taste of alcohol. Its height also provides more space for swirling the wine, allowing it to further open up to oxygen, bringing its taste closer to you by unlocking aromas even without immediately tasting it.
For white wine, glasses are narrower to help maintain its temperature and aroma longer. For both white and red wines, glasses are held only by the stem, the long and thin part of the glass, to keep their temperature optimal for drinking and to avoid dirtying the bottom of the glass with fingerprints.
Glasses for sparkling wines are recognizable by their slim and slender appearance, hence in the wine world they are named after the flute instrument. The main goal is to preserve temperature and effervescence, and this glass design allows the bubbles in the wine to travel upward, rather than dispersing horizontally. Also, only in these glasses is the wine poured almost to the top, while for white and red wines, it’s not the case. This rule continues regarding oxidation, so glasses for white wine are filled to about half, for red wine to about one-third, and for sparkling wines up to three-quarters of the glass because they require the least oxygen space.
Recently, there have been speculations among oenologists that there’s no need to pour sparkling wine into special glasses; instead, they can be poured into white wine glasses.
The smallest glasses are used for dessert wines, characterized by a high alcohol content to prevent it from evaporating.
Rosé wines have often carried a certain negative connotation, perceived as “unserious” wines due to their narrow range of flavors and aromas, so a specific glass design was lacking until recently. In cafes and restaurants worldwide, they are now mostly served in glasses similar to those for sparkling wines because of their effervescence, although the shape resembles more of a tulip flower.
Some wine connoisseurs believe that rosé wines do not deserve a separate design, but this opinion contrasts with oenologists from the French Provence region, who spent four years researching the appropriate glass for rosé wines.
They believe that its specific shape allows the wine’s scent to reach our nose directly, enabling us to perceive floral and fruity aromas, while the wide base of the glass allows it to swirl. In Croatia, rosé wines are most commonly served in glasses for white wine.
If you’re not a huge wine enthusiast and only drink it on special occasions, there’s no need to have several types of glasses at home because there’s a universal wine glass available. Of course, it can’t compensate for all the advantages mentioned above, but for someone who is just discovering the world of wine and doesn’t have specific preferences, it’s a good enough alternative.
Apart from glasses, decanters also play an important role in serving wine. Although there are numerous designs available today, its shape is appreciated for its practicality and functionality because it allows the selected wine to aerate, achieving clarity, and bringing out the aromas due to the rapid oxygen enrichment of the wine.
