For true wine lovers, drinking wine is about more than just imbibing an alcoholic beverage. It's an experience that engages all of the senses - the look of the wine in the glass, the aromas that waft upwards, the flavors that coat the tongue. Having the right wine glass can elevate this experience immensely, allowing you to capture and appreciate all of the nuances a quality wine has to offer.
The shape and size of the glass directly impacts the way you perceive a wine's aromas, colors, and flavors. A glass that is too small with a narrow opening can concentrate the aromas too intensely, blowing out the delicate notes. One that is too wide can cause the aromas and flavors to become muted or dissipate too quickly. Getting the proportions right is key.
For example, a classic bordeaux glass with a wide bowl allows the bold, tannic flavors of cabernet and red bordeaux blends to open up and breathe. The aromas have ample space to accumulate and funnel upwards towards the nose. The narrower opening at the top concentrates those aromas before delivering them in an aromatic burst upon sipping.
Contrast that with a glass designed for delicate wines like rieslings. These tend to have a more tapered, elongated bowl to concentrate the more subtle fruit and floral notes. The smaller opening reduces the exposure to air, preserving the fresh crispness.
High-quality stemware is mouth-blown and impeccably thin. This not only contributes to the elegant experience of drinking wine, but it also prevents the transfer of off-flavors from machine-made glass. Dim or tinted glasses obscure the wine's color and clarity - an important aspect of the tasting experience.
Typically red wines call for glasses with a larger, rounder bowl while white wines are better suited to glasses with a smaller, narrower bowl. However, the guidelines aren't set in stone. An earthy, lighter-bodied red like pinot noir can shine in a glass designed for whites or roses. A rich, oaky chardonnay may pair better with a glass meant for reds to expose more of its weight and complexity.
Why Shape Matters
Leading wine glass manufacturer RIEDEL has extensively researched the impact of the size and shape of the glass across all popular grape varieties, leading to the conclusion, on which the world’s wine experts agree: the aroma, taste, texture, finish and enjoyment of wine, is maximized by using the correct "Wine Instrument".
RIEDEL offers ‘grape varietal specific’ glasses, for dedicated wine lovers as well as for informal wine drinkers. When choosing a grape varietal specific RIEDEL glass, consider that it is designed for, and performs at its best with, a specific type of wine.
At the end of the day, the "correct" glassware comes down to maximizing your personal appreciation of the wine in front of you. Investing in high-quality, varietal-specific stemware represents a commitment to savoring every nuance the winemaker intended. From the swirling and examining of the wine's color to the first waft of aromas to the crescendo of flavours that build across the palate, the glass plays an instrumental role in elevating the experience.