So you are asking yourself “What wine glasses should i buy?”. We often think about wine the same way we think about food. Perhaps it’s because the two go so well together? Whether you’re pairing your favourite red from the bottle or exploring a new white, you can experience its flavour within its preferred vessel.
Unless you’re a sommelier, chances are that pairing wine with a specific glass isn’t on your radar. However, it is something that you should consider when purchasing your next bottle of vino.
The right glass allows you to fully experience the bouquet of your wine and enhance its aroma as well as reduce any glare that could diminish the colour of your chosen blend. Read on to learn more and give your next pairing the perfect nudge.
What is the purpose of a wine glass?
Wine glasses are containers that allow wine to flow freely, allowing it to be smelled and tasted. They are not meant to keep the wine inside the glass, but rather to keep the wine safe and keep it tasting the best.
Wine glasses have different purposes depending on what kind of wine you are drinking. For example, red wine is typically drunk best in a red wine glass while white wine pairs best with a white wine glass.
Match Wine Colour to Glass Type
When choosing the right glass for your wine, you’ll want to make sure to match the wine’s colour. You’ll also want to make sure that the glass you choose is the correct type for the wine you’re drinking. The most common wine glasses to choose from are red wine glasses, white wine glasses, and sparkling wine glasses.
How you match the wine’s colour to the glass will depend on a number of factors, including the wine itself and the type of wine you are drinking. Red wines are typically served in a red wine glass. They are usually red-based wines that may have a more bold taste, such as merlots and cabernet sauvignons.
Wine glasses are used for white wines. They are usually clear with a white base, and will help keep the wine tasting crisp and clean. Some of the more common wine glasses used for white wines are pours, flutes, and demi-johns.
Sparkling wines are typically served in sparkling wine glasses. They are usually white-based wines that have had carbon dioxide added to them, causing them to become bubbly.
Choose a Claret or Burgundy Glass
If the wine you’re drinking is red, you may want to consider a claret glass. These stemmed glasses are designed to hold red wines, which makes them the perfect vessel for Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and similar wines.
The stem of a claret glass will also help you to see the colour of the wine better. If you’ve chosen to drink a claret-based wine, you may want to consider a claret glass. These stemmed glasses are designed to hold red wines, which makes them the perfect vessel for a bold red, such as a Merlot.
The stem of a claret glass will also help you to see the colour of the wine better. A burgundy glass is perfect for pinot noir and similar red wines. They are usually red-based and have a burgundy base, which helps to enhance the wine’s aromas.
Select a Sparkling Wine Glass
Beyond the red wine glasses, there is another type of wine glass that is worth consideration. This is the sparkling wine glass. In this glass, the wine is carbonated and a small amount of vanilla or fruit flavour has been added, creating a sparkling drink that you can enjoy.
If you are drinking sparkling wine, you will want to make sure that you are using a sparkling wine glass that is designed for sparkling wines.
Some sparkling wine glasses are designed with a stem, allowing you to use a fine sieve to remove the bubbles from the bottom of your glass. When selecting a sparkling wine glass, make sure that the glass is designed for bubbly wines and is not a wine glass designed for regular table wine.
Many sparkling wines, such as Prosecco or Champagne, are designed to be served in a sparkling wine glass. However, many other types of wines can also be served in a sparkling glass, including Moscato, which is a pink wine from Italy.
Serve Sweet or Dry Wines in specific glasses
For sweet wines, such as port or sweet Moscato, you’ll want to keep the glasses clear and avoid serving them in a glass with a stem. This will help to retain the natural sweetness of the wine. For dry wines, such as a Sauvignon Blanc or a Graciano, you’ll want to consider serving them in a red wine glass with a stem.
This will allow for a little bit of residual sweetness to add to the wine. Red wine glasses with a stem also allow you to see the colour of the wine better, which can help you to identify the type of wine you’re drinking.
What wine glasses for red wine?
If you are drinking a red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir or a Shiraz, then you will want a red wine glass.
Because red wines are generally more full-bodied than white wines, red wine glasses benefit from having larger glass bowls. These larger, rounder bowls then allow more air to come into contact with the wine.
This helps those red wine flavours to open up and display themselves more prominently.
If you are drinking a red wine, you want to make sure that you are using a red wine glass that is designed for red wines. While these are not as common as red wine glasses designed for white wines or red wine glasses designed for sparkling wines, they are still worth considering.
When you use a red wine glass, you can better enjoy the flavours of your red wine because the wine will not be diluted by the characteristics of the glass. There are also many different types of red wine glasses that allow you to enjoy the aromas of your wine without the glare of the glass.
What wine glasses for white wine?
If you are about to consume a Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling or a tasty Sauvignon Blanc then you will want to have a white wine glass.
A quality white wine glass is designed to enhance the characteristics and components of white wine in particular. White wines tend to only require a small bowl to help capture the aromas and help enhance the complexity of the wines.
Know the importance of temperature when pouring and matching wine with food
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, and as such, it will begin to taste better as the temperature of the wine increases. Therefore, it is important to pour your wine at the right temperature. Different wines are best served at different temperatures.
It is important to understand the temperature that the type of wine you’re drinking should be at. Some wines, such as a rose wine, should be served at cooler temperatures, such as 15 degrees celsius. Some wines, such as a cabernet sauvignon, should be served at warmer temperatures, such as 20 degrees celsius.
Why should you care?
The best way to understand how to match wine with the right glass is to understand the purpose behind each one. Each wine glass will allow you to fully experience the bouquet of your wine and enhance its aroma as well as reduce any glare that could diminish the colour of your chosen blend.
This will help you to enjoy the bubbly characteristics of your wine without being overpowered by the taste of the sparkling wine. When you use a sparkling wine glass, you can keep the taste of your wine clean and crisp by avoiding any flavours that may come from the stem of the glass.