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Keeping it Corked...
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What glasses
Now that you have chosen the wine, what do you serve it in? The thought of serving a wine in an ordinary tumbler or perhaps even a coffee cup or a mason jar seems totally incredible, improbable and impossible. It is traditional to serve a wine in stemware i.e. a vessel consisting of a bowl, a stem and a stand. In plain words, a good, old fashioned wine glass. We have all seen them, in every shape, size and
colour. But now, the burning question is, what is the best, or proper wine glass to use?
Let us start with the most important question, the basic specifications for a wine glass. Everyone is in agreement that a wine glass should be made of clear,
colourless, smooth sided glass. The colour of a wine is an important element in the enjoyment of wine so we now know why coloured glass is a definite no-no. There should also be no faceting or design on the bowl. Facets on a glass surface do not permit you to look through the glass to appreciate the wine’s
colour. So we are down to a clear, colourless vessel. Now what?
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Hold the glass by the stem. Hand contact will warm the wine and drive off many of the aromas |
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The bowl, the part that holds the wine should be large at the bottom and narrower at the top. This configuration allows the aroma to remain in the bowl. It is very important to contain the aroma, as it is an integral and essential part of wine enjoyment. The bowl should be supported by a solid glass support that is long enough to be able to get your hand around. Why? The stem is there to allow a wine to be held without the hand coming in contact with the bowl. Hand contact will warm the wine and drive off many of the delicate aromas. Another popular way to hold a wine glass is by the stand. The stand must therefore be designed to fit comfortably in the hand and be large enough to hold. Tell the truth, did you know that?
The less expensive wine glasses are made of common glass and have a slight, often unnoticed, usually green tint to them. Look down at the rim of the glass, in good light, and you will see the colour. There is also the question of the thickness of the glass: the thinner the better. Finally, there is the material of construction. Lead-glass or as it is commonly known, crystal glass, is the best. It is colourless and can be blown extremely thin. Quality lead-glass, however, can be very pricey.
One final point about wine glasses. While good wineglasses dramatically enhance the enjoyment of any wine, their cost can be high. It is not, however, necessary to get a six or eight glass set. Get just enough glasses to satisfy the number of people who regularly enjoy wine at your table. In case that number is two, you can purchase two wine glasses of several different types without breaking the bank. When you have company, they get the “other” wineglasses.
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February 2006
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