I’m sure the wine drinkers of the world know that it is hard
to describe something better than coming home after a long day, or maybe a
short one, to sit down with a glass of wine. Whether you fancy red or white,
there’s something so soothing to the soul about taking holding the glass in your
hands. You might hold it by the bowl of the glass, maybe enclosing all ten of
your fingers around it as you bring it up to your mouth. Or possibly you hold
it with one hand cupping the bowl. And maybe, just maybe you hold it solely by
the stem of the glass. Me, well, I usually find myself holding my glass with
one hand, my right of course. I gently hold it by the bowl, with the stem in
between my pinky and the opposite of my ring finger. I try to hold my glass
with care, however I have broken more wine glasses than I would like to admit.
I have more than a
couple wine glasses in my cabinet, at least ten, all given to me by my mother.
I believe she bought a set of them at a garage sale, as she has acquired many
objects this way. They are sixteen ounces, with no frills or design – just
simple glass stemware. Of course, she keeps the expensive crystal glasses for
herself and her friends that don’t have loose fingers like me. Tight grasps are
necessary when holding crystal Mikasa stemware that was a wedding gift. She had
a dozen when she was twenty-six. Twenty-one years later, and she now has eight.
It wasn’t all me though, I swear!
We must use wine glasses for a reason though, right? I’m
sure there are some who pour their chardonnay into a simple stemless glass one
would drink water or juice out of as well. It’s interesting to think that a
glass can make a difference in the taste or our overall experience of drinking
wine. Mary Gorman-McAdams, a Master of Wine, wrote an article for The Kitchn detailing a few different
ways the wine glasses could alter our wine-tasting experience. In “Do Wine
Glasses Really Matter? 7 Factors Affecting How a Wine Glass Works,” I am
completely enlightened to see that apparently the wine glass can change
everything.
Gorman-McAdams says that the size and shape of the bowl can
change the taste of the wine, more so with red wine, because a larger bowl
gives the wine the time and air it needs to fully open up and breathe. Thus,
the glass is essential for the taste to manifest and really come through. The
stem must also be factored into the equation according to the New York based
wine educator. When we hold our glass by the stem we aren’t interfering with
the temperature of the wine. When you hold your glass by the bowl like I do the
heat from your hand can interrupt the overall taste. However, since I am not
technically cupping the glass, I just hold it with my fingers, this may not
interfere as much. I have to assume that most of the heat comes from one’s
palm.
Back to the crystal glasses! Gorman-McAdams says that fine
lead crystal definitely amps up the wine drinking experience. Webstaurantstore.com
adds to this in a wine glass-buying guide. They say “these glasses (crystal) feature
similar properties as lead crystal, such as temperature control and the ability
to accentuate the aroma and flavors of wine.” However, they follow this up by
saying that even though these more expensive lead crystal glasses might make
your wine taste better, they aren’t actually worth it in the grand scheme of
things. For one, they are much more fragile than regular glass wine glasses so
you might end up spending some money on replacements. Gorman-McAdams suggests
non-lead crystal glasses as a good substitute.
What’s your pleasure? Do you usually reach for the bottle of red
– maybe a Malbec – or do you tend to lean for the white wines? If you go for red, which is a rarity for me
because I don’t like how it stains my teeth, there is a certain kind of glass
for a red wine. So, it’s a Saturday night and you’re going for a nice Bordeaux
or Chianti; here’s the type of glass you are going to use. The wine glass guide
on webstuarantstore.com tells me that when drinking red wines, large glasses
are your best option. Wine glasses with bigger, full bowls and a wide brim give the
red wine the amount of air it needs to breathe so that the aromas and flavors
digest to their full extant.
Another factor that can be good to take into account when buying
red wine glasses is the height of the glass. Taller red wine glasses are known
as Bordeaux wine glasses. The bowl isn’t as full as the traditional glass
because it is “designed for full-bodied, heavier red wines such as Cabernets
and Merlots.” Taller glasses make it so that you experience its maximum flavor
because the height allows the wine to travel directly to the back of your
mouth. On the other hand, for lighter wines like a Pinot Noir, the Burgundy
glass is a staple. This wine glass is shorter, with a larger bowl designed for
tasting the delicate flavors.
One of the main distinctions between red and white wine is the
temperature. It’s imperative that white wines, like chardonnay, be cool while
normally you would drink red wine at room temperature. Therefore, the glass shape
is different than a red wine glass to accommodate the coolness that is needed
for maximum tasting. The shape that is best for this, specifically, is a more U
shaped glass because this allows the wine to maintain its cooler temperature
while releasing its aromas as well. It’s also important to note the difference
between the younger white wines and the more mature in relation to the shape of
the glass. For instance, younger whites usually require a little bit larger of
an opening as this allows the wine to travel “to the tip and sides of the
tongue to taste its sweetness.” Concerning more mature white wines, it is best
to use taller, straighter glass to direct the wine to the back and sides of the
tongue to appreciate the bolder flavors.
In addition, have you ever wondered why we drink sparkling wine
or champagne out of a flute glass? This is so that the carbonation is retained
and the flavor of the wine is fully captured.
Who would actually think of drinking sparkling wine in a regular glass
anyway? That would be preposterous! (Note: sarcasm). Also, blush-colored wines
or a rose can be held in a white wine glass, as they are quite similar. But it
is also common to see a Zinfandel blush in a stemmed glass with a shorter bowl
with a slight taper or flared lip. This slightly flared lip better used for
younger, less mature, less sweet roses. “The flared lip design lets the wine
run out of the bowl and right onto the tip of the tongue where the taste buds
are most sensitive to sweetness.” This will help to diminish any bite the wine
might have.
All purpose wine glasses will be a middle ground between the
two. While they might not be suitable for proper tasting they will do the job.
Another wine glass that is a more modern take is the stemless wine glass. These
can look just like a normal glass but with a slightly taller, rounded rim. It
basically looks like the bowl of a wine glass with a flat bottom. They are
better because they are less likely to break, but keep in mind that they are
warmed faster. Therefore, stemless wine glasses are probably better suited for
a red wine as opposed to a white, which taste better when cooled. Wine critic
James Suckling says that a wine glass is “an essential tool” in the tasting
process. Suckling compares a wine glass to a writer with their favorite pen or
a violinist with their Stradivarius. He even designed his own wine glass in
collaboration with famous French crystal maker Lalique called the 100 Points
glass. I don’t know about you but all this talk about what wine glasses are
appropriate to use for different wines has me curious where wine glasses
started. Why don’t we drink our favorite alcoholic beverage out of a regular
glass?
Wine glasses have been around for centuries it seems. They were
originally goblets made out of baked clay and were used by Britons or the
Celtic people in 500-600 AD. Further down the line, a couple hundred years or
so during the Roman times, with their advanced pottery skills we started seeing
new, ornate wine glass designs. Only the
upper class used glasses with elegant stems and the lower class had to use clay
goblets. What would James Suckling be using as a wine taster back in say, the
seventeenth century, though? He might be using a small flat bowl with one or
two handles on each side to pick it up and bring it to the mouth. The wine
glass we see today has somehow stood the test of time even though there were
plenty of other glasses used throughout history.
According to thisdayinwine.com, the Reidel company makes the
most famous wine glasses in the world. Reidel is a glassware manufacturer based
out of Austria and it is known to enhance the taste of wines. The company was
founded in 1756 and was even mentioned in the popular television series Gossip Girl. In an episode in season
four, Blair Waldorf is seen explaining to Dan Humphrey that Reidel glasses must
be washed with L'Occitane shampoo. Something you might not think about when
you’re having a glass of wine (or three) is how your glass is made.
A Reidel wine glass, just for example, is made with one piece of
glass and it only takes ten minutes to make on glass. However, it takes five
men to blow and shape one glass, taking about two minutes for each man. Someone
will take molten glass and inflate it with a blowpipe or blow tube. From there
they mold the glass into the different parts including the foot, the stem, and
the bowl. It takes very skilled glassblowers to take on a job like this.
Furthermore, today it is common to have custom wine glasses.
Maybe you have some engraved glasses or hand painted. I know I have seen both.
My parents were gifted glasses with their names and the date of their
anniversary on them as a wedding present. I, of course, can’t be trusted with
something as special as an engraved glass, so I settle for the fun hand-painted
variety. Some can look rather gauche but others can be very nice. Tracy Lolita
Healy paints one of my favorite hand-painted wine glasses. She has started her
own successful business called Designs by Lolita where she paints different
types of glassware. Each glass is individually unique – you can get hundreds of
different designs. The designs range from birthday glasses, to “5 o’clock
somewhere,” to #1 mom glasses.
They are so fun, especially for a girl’s night or a birthday. I
personally own a glass that has the phrase “Wine Goddess” painted on it. The
designs on it are so intricate and diverse. Just don’t put them in the
dishwasher! If you don’t feel like going out and purchasing a hand-painted
glass though I am sure if you are creative and artistically gifted enough you
could make your own right at home.
Overall, it is interesting to think about how many wine glasses
there are in the world, how many people have wine glasses in their cabinets at
home and how important they are in their daily lives. I know that drinking my
wine would feel quite right in just a regular old glass.
