Your Guide to Wine Glassware
Read on to learn about the five most common types of glassware, when you should use them, and the science behind why particular designs improve the taste of certain types of wine!
Universal Wine Glass
If you're going with only one style of wine glass, the "universal" or "standard" glass is for you! These are your everyday glasses that work for both red and white wines of all types. They're typically smaller bowled which preserves the wine's floral aromas, maintains a cooler temperature inside of your glass, and expresses more of the wine's acidity. My favorite universal glasses are by Aspen and Birch, available on Amazon for only $10 per glass!
Large Bowled Bordeaux Glass
Large bowled glasses allow more oxygen to come into contact with the wine and lets ethanol evaporate, which releases all of its lovely aromas and softens its texture. You can also easily swirl wine in large bowled glasses to help it open up. This makes these glasses perfect for enjoying bold, high tannin red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Bordeaux Blends. I love my large bowled glasses from Crate and Barrel (only $8 each)!
Tapered Burgundy Glass
The wide bowl of the classic Burgundy glass allows for plenty of aeration and the tapered rim concentrates and showcases the wine's delicate fruit aromas. This glass shape is a great choice for light red wines with subtle aromas like Pinot Noir, Gamay, Valpolicella, and even Nebbiolo. I use Riedel's Pinot Noir glasses ($23 each)!
Champagne Flute
Champagne flutes are the ultimate symbol of celebration! This glass shape is used for sparkling wine because the narrow opening of the glass lets the wine breathe just enough while still preserving the bubbles. The narrow opening is also designed to help collect the wine's floral aromas. I love my champagne flutes from Aspen and Birch, they're available on Amazon for $12 a glass!
Coupe Glass
The vintage coupe glass became popular in the 1950's and has made a big comeback! Though these glasses are pretty, know that the bubbles in your wine will disperse quickly from the wide opening which may make your sparkling appear flat. With that in mind, coupe glasses are best for rich, older vintage sparkling wines that need time to open. I use Ridel's coupe glasses ($35 each), and they double as a nice cocktail glass too!
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Cheers!