A glass is not just a glass

Wine glassware has certainly evolved over the centuries there has been much research and collaboration between glassware craftsmen, winemakers and industry professionals.

Stemware certainly has a wide offering all designed to enhance the wine drinking experience.

As it is poured into the glass we drink with our eyes and the shape both captures and releases beautiful aromas exciting the palate to then taste the wine. The shape and design of your glass will influence how the wine is directed onto your tongue and then across your palate ensuring the wines flavours are maximized. Personal perception and aesthetics are important when selecting stemware.

The weight or delicacy of the glass is an individual choice a fine glass can accentuate the colour and a thin rim allows wine to be delivered easily to the tongue but glasses need to be practical and able to suit ones needs. Stemless glassware has the same functionality and design as a glass with a stem and are suitable for formal or informal occasions.

The width or body of the glass allows for swirling or ‘opening of the wine’ to release aromas this is important to gauge the condition of the wine and excite your taste buds prior to sipping, as you would enjoy the aromas of a dish of food prior to eating.

Champagne coupes the beautiful saucer shape created in the 1700’s and most popular in France and the United States are still used to enjoy Champagne but are more likely to hold a cocktail today.

The Champagne flute also created in the 1700’s was designed to look elegant and enhance the delicate bead or bubbles of the Champagne as you sipped it. More recently Champagnes are being savoured in tulip shaped glassware with a wider body and fluted lip this provides a larger area for delicate aromas to be released and disperses the liquid across the palate allowing the Champagnes flavours to be fully expressed.

Decanting a wine is not only a little bit of theatre it is also a practical way to aerate a bottle of wine, for a young wine this allows it to open and release aromas while softening the youthful tannins.It will open an older wine that has been closed for some time and allows for the removal of any sediment, full bodied wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Rioja and Cabernet Sauvignon all benefit from being awakened in a decanter.