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glass of wine and then they bring out this small, thick glass with a tiny
opening? After taking your first sip, you'd swear you were just drinking
some spiked Ocean Spray Grape Juice! If you order a red wine on this
occasion, chances are it's even worse than that! Nothing quite like
paying $5.00 to $10.00 for a glass of wine in a wine glass that is still hot
from going through the dishwasher. Aye!
Let's pick apart this cheap wine glass one problem at a time. For
starters, let's attack the tiny opening at the top which is just barely
bigger than a shot glass. The last time I checked, doing wine shooters
was not exactly popular amoung spring-breakers heading south of the
border! Wine is not that type of drink. So why does the size of the
opening of the glass matter? It is not often that any two wines smell
exactly the same. The smell of wine (which is referred to as the nose of
a wine) is one of the most important parts in tasting wine. I can't
emphasize to you how huge this step in wine tasting is. If your not
smelling your wine before you drink, you are not tasting it! Trust me,
sometimes the nose of wine is much better than it's taste and that nose
can be heavenly. Your nose actually detects quite literally thousands of
different flavors, while your tongue can only manage four different
ones, sweet, sour, bitter and salty. You want to have a glass that has an
opening big enough to poke your big ole' honker in as your drink.
The thickness of the glass also matters and when it comes to enjoying
wine the thinner the glass you are drinking from, the better. You want
as little glass as possible to come between the wine and your mouth.
You can actually taste more flavor from a thinner glass. I have also
noticed that when you are using a thicker glass, it is easier to taste
unwanted flavors such as cheap dishwashing detergent. Blah! Thinner
glasses are more fragile, but hey, they are worth it!
Okay ladies, this time size really does matter! For most white wines it
is okay to have a medium-sized bowl-shaped glass. Again, you want to
be able to put your attractive snout in the glass as you taste the wine.
Fine White Burgundy likes a big glass. White Burgundy is Chardonnay
from Burgundy France by the way. Almost every red wine you will
come in contact wants, I mean needs, a glass with a big bowl shape.
Red wines tend to be more aromatic and by having a bigger glass, it
enables more wine surface to come in contact with air and thus giving
off more of those heavenly aromas. You should look for a glass that
has a large bowl that comes up to an opening that is slightly smaller
than the bowl of the glass. Again, this opening should be large enough
for you to put your big hairy sniffer in there when you quaff, excuse me,
make that taste your wine.
White Zinfandel drinkers are in luck! A simple plastic cup will do for
you just fine. There are a number of reliable brands such as Dixie and
even Solo that make great ones. If you are a proud white zin drinker,
go for those cups with the clear plastic. That way everyone can see
your pink liquid. If you are a closet white zin drinker they do make
these cups in assorted colors and that should block your "headache in a
bottle" liquid from the plain site of others. You are also required to sit
in front of the T.V. in a fold-up lawn chair and wear a tank top.
Now having preached to you about the "bigger the better" and having a
large opening in your wine glass, there is one exception to those rules.
That is Champagne. Have you ever wondered why it is always served
in a tall skinny glass called a Champagne Flute? The reason why is
because of the bubbles. If you drink Champagne from a glass with a
large opening, it causes the gas that creates those bubbles to escape
more quickly, effectively ruining your fun. As a side note, you always
want to serve Champagne extremely cold, it tastes better and it will
help preserve those bubbles.
I should also make a note about washing your glasses. It is better if
you hand wash them in hot water. When you run them through the
dishwasher, you stand the chance of having detergent and other off
odors that could get in the way of that lovely wine taste. It is okay to
use dishwashing soap, just make sure you rinse them out really well. I
usually use a sponge to clean them and then dry them off immediately
with a paper towel.
There are many different glasses for many different styles of wine to
choose from. I have just told you the basics. However, if you follow
these simple rules with regards to choosing a glass for your wine, I'm
sure you will find your wine tasting experience much more enjoyable.
Shane Johnson
President
Dallas Secret Wine Society
Glasses and Stemware available at
www.iwawine.com
