Creative Writing | Guide to Wine | Genealogy

Types of Wine Glasses

In order to fully appreciate the smell of a wine it is essential that you have the right glass. But don't allow yourself to be confused - or indeed conned - by anyone who try to sell you a different glass for every conceivable type of wine.

The perfect wine glass is much simpler - and cheaper than you might be led to believe.

The more wines you try, the more that you'll discover that their tastes and smells can be heavily influenced by a variety of factors such as their temperature, the food that you're eating them with and others such as whether you have just brushed your teeth or eaten some chilli.

Another factor is the shape of the glass. In the world of wine buffery there are two schools of thought on the subject a relaxed approach and an obsessive approach. Sitting on the fence is not an option - one of the rules of wine buffery is that it is always important to have an opinion on everything - however the aim of this book is that such opinions should be yours rather than anyone else's.

TWO KINDS OF GLASSES

In order to get to grips with the theory, you need to do some homework for which you will need two glasses;

The first glass should be the ubiquitous Paris goblet, the glass with a modestly sized spherical bowl on a stem that is beloved by pubs and seaside boarding houses due to the fact that it is both cheap and also capable of withstanding almost anything that a dishwasher can chuck at it.

The second glass will require more investment; it must be larger and tulip shaped- i.e. the circumference of the rim is smaller than of the bowl and also that the glass is thinner than an everyday drinking glass (the test of good quality glass is if it resonates when you flick it with a finger nail).

TASTE TEST

Pour around 125ml of an aromatic white wine such as a good quality New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc into each glass. In the smaller glass you will notice that the surface of the wine is much closer to the rim than in the larger glass where it occupies a relatively small proportion of the bowl. This fact will become increasingly evident when you come to smell the wine; your nose will be much closer to the wine in the smaller glass than in the larger glass.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

A QUESTION OF SMELL
How does the smell of the wine in the smaller glass compare with the smell of the wine in the larger glass?
A QUESTION OF TASTE
Is there any difference between the flavour of the wine in the small glass and the wine in the large glass?

EXAMINING YOUR FINDINGS

There is no real science to choosing the right glass - the most important factor is simply that one's appreciation of the smell and flavour of a wine is influenced by the shape of the glass and the thickness of rim. A large, tulip-shaped glass captures the aroma and if not overfilled will provide sufficient space for the aroma of the wine to express itself. Combined with a thin rim - which is a less intrusive element in the tasting experience than a thick rim - it offers the ideal vessel in which to taste wine. Another obvious advantage of drinking wine from a tulip-shaped glass is that it allows you to swill the wine around in the glass with out it spilling over the edges.

LEARNING TO TELL FACT FROM FICTION

There are those who believe that in order to truly maximise your enjoyment of a wine you have to drink from a glass that has been specifically tailored to bring out that wine's best features. The only way to test the theory is to invest the considerable sum required to equip yourself with the huge array of specialist glasses and let your nose and palate judge for themselves. Alternatively, you could save yourself a fortune and satisfy yourself with two or three glass shapes.


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