Is choosing the right glass really that important? Here’s what myself and others have to say on the matter…

Most of the time we just pour our wine into the first glass we find, particularly if it’s at the end of a hard working day! But we never seem to stop and think that if we chose the correct glass, we could enhance the flavours and aromas that we find in each and every wine – still or sparkling.

There are obviuosly lots of different type of glasses available on the market, each with different shapes and sizes. Some are just to look pretty on the table and others are more specifically designed for a certain wine. So how do you find the right one?

As a general rule, we can follow this simple guideline:

TYPE OF WINESTYLE OF GLASS
Red winesLarger glass allows for more oxygen contact with the wine and enhances aromas
White and Rosé winesMedium sized glasses help concentrate a collect fresh, fruity aromas and direct them to the surface
Sparkling winesTall, flute glasses are best as they help enhance the effect of the bubbles

In hospitality and tourism, the world-famous brand of glassware RIEDEL usually wins. Mainly for having so much experience in the field but for also having a glass to suit almost every single type of wine and grape on the market!! (Yes, they make specific glasses for each grape variety!)

If you take a look at their web page, you’ll see that you can filter the search options and put in a specific grape variety and it’ll come up with a whole selection of glasses available for purchase that’ll suit that particular taste.

Let’s take a look at some glassware options…

So for red wines I mentioned in the table before that a larger sized glass is ideal to help increase oxygen contact and enhance the aroma and flavour profile in the wine. A glass like this one would be ideal:

This is a «Syrah» style glass

This style of glass is perfect for medium-bodied red wines as it can help balance the aromas of pepper, fruit and spice as well as the tannins found in these wines. The egg-shaped bowl of the glass helps concentrate all of the aromas and push them to the surface to enhance the experience of tasting and give a longer lasting finish.

For red wines that a full-bodied, a Cabernet style glass would be more appropiate. The bigger bowl allows aromas to develop fully emphasisng the fruit whilst playing down the bitter tannins helping the wines become more balanced in the glass. Think French wines when you see and use this glass and you’ll be on your way to aroma heaven!

This is the Cabernet style glass

So we’ve seen 2 different styles of glass for red wines, let’s take a look now at some white wine style glasses…

If you’re a Chardonnay fan then this one will definitely up the aromas in your wines. The more open bowl allows for the rich bouquet of the wine to develop an amazing diverse range of aromas whilst still maintaining the finesse.

This is a Chardonnay glass

The Chardonnay style glass would be ideal for any oaked white wine as the shape avoids the wine becoming over-concentrated.

The next shape of glass is the Riesling. It’s probably the most versatile style of wine glass for fruity, acidic whites. The shape helps balance the fresh and mineral character whilst providing a truly amazing aromatic experience.

This is the Riesling style glass

These are just 4 different shapes of wine glasses that will suit most styles of wine. If I had to choose a stlye of glass to keep at home for my wine tastings, I would go with a Syrah style for reds and a Riesling style for whites. With both of these shaped glasses pretty much all styles of wine would be enhanced.

So there you have it! A quick overview of glass shapes and styles to help you out during a wine tasting and enhance all of those amazing aromas and flavours that are hiding in your wines!

Which stlye of wine glass do you prefer? Which ones do you have at home? Let me know in the comments!

Which glass for which wine?

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