Perchance you’ve seen a movie set in the Tuscan countryside, or was it set in a small village in Burgundy? Either way, at a quaint café or a vineyard picnic, in Fellini surrealism or Jeunet whimsy, a table was set and a bottle opened. Then the wine poured into ordinary flat-bottomed glasses. The French and Italians have been making and consuming wine for centuries. Wine is an essential part of their culture yet, there they were on the screen drinking from something akin to a jelly jar.
Does the shape of your wine glass really matter?
The short answer is NO, but it that is not the whole story…
The shape of your glass can not change the flavor of the liquid inside. However, the shape of your glass can drastically change the aromas of your wine, and that is paramount. The majority of flavors originate in our nose not our mouth. Think back to the last time you were congested; food had less flavor and you were not keen to open your best bottle of wine to savor. Without our sense of smell flavors are dulled and our appreciation is inhibited. Without smell many of us would have trouble deciphering a pear from an apple or a Merlot from a Syrah. If you are wondering if that is a hint of apricot or nectarine in your glass of Pinot Gris don’t take another sip; have a second sniff.
Riedel, an Austrian stemware manufacture, was one of the first to create a varietal specific glass line in a multitude of shapes and sizes. Other companies, like Wine Enthusiast, have followed suit selling stemware for every type of wine you may encounter. Your stemware can now cost more than your wine, and may require its own cellar storage as well.
The proper glass can make your wine more pronounced.
The correct stemware can enhance aromas and enliven a wine so much that professional tasters and judges insist on using the same stemware for every wine to even the playing fields during competitions. These international standard glasses are durable, round-bottom glasses that treat every wine the same. What the International Standards Organization glasses don’t do is make the most of a particular wine and let it sing. It is a choir, no soloist allowed. Tasters and judges are not seeking to bring out the excellence of any one wine but to give every wine a fair shake.
What stemware should I buy?
**Invest in the a few glasses for the wines you most enjoy. **
In general, the majority of us can get away with a well-made Bordeaux glass for red wines. Connoisseurs of Riesling may track down traditional Alsatian glasses for esthetic flair but often a Sauvignon Blanc glass will be more than adequate for all of your white wines. One should always have some champagne flutes on hand for special occasions, even if that occasion is simply the possession of a chilled bottle of bubbles. Likewise, if you love Pinot Noir then you may want to add a few Burgundy glasses to your collection which can really bring out subtleties in the wine.
Don’t be drawn in by any new aged high designed stemware that may have squared bottoms or colored glass. A bowl shaped vessel bottom is essential, while clear thin glass permits you to examine color and taste leisurely. Above all, avoid the jelly jar style glass, it may add an aesthetic, rustic, ambiance but it will not elevate your wine.
Elementary By Nick GoldSchmidt, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with Bordeaux glass
Eighteen Miles by Jessica Boone, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir with Burgundy glass
