The Desert Wine Guy - Choosing The Right Stemware For Your Wine.

   Do you have a favorite wine glass that you drink white or red wine out of? How important is the wine glass to your enjoyment of your wine? Today we are going to find out because today we are going to look at the wine glass itself and just how important it is. The first point to remember here is that like anything else that is sold there is marketing involved and wine glasses are no different. Here is an example of what I am talking about. One of the things we will discuss in this article is a part of the wine glass known as the stem. The most obvious purpose of the stem most people would say is to hold the glass. The stem however, is much more than just something to use in order to hold a glass as we will see down below. Why are there stemless glasses? This is a perfect example of marketing. Because something is new and different people will take to it....at least at first they will. Why are there colored glasses when I thought one of the factors in  rating a wine is how the wine pours or looks in the glass? That is just another example of marketing. We are going to move into the main body of the article now and break down each part of the wine glass and their function(s).

Base/Foot - The first part of the wine glass we will look at is called the base or the foot. The base has the sole purpose of keeping the glass upright. The base does not effect the taste of the wine as we probably already know.

Stem - Coming out from the base is the stem. The purpose of the stem is for you to hold the glass. The stem as we discussed in the opening of this article is there to also make sure that you do not warm the wine you are drinking. Why would you put a wine in the refrigerator to chill only to warm the wine when you have it in your hand? The stem also supports the bowl which is where the wine is kept. The stem also does not effect the taste of the wine. The stem also serves the purpose of keeping your fingerprints off the glass, again appreciation of the wine. We see now that a stemless wine glass is simply a fad and something that should not be taken seriously.

Bowl - The bowl is the section of the glass we pour the wine into. The bottom of the bowl is usually wider than the top of the bowl which serves a very important function. A well designed wine glass will gather the bouquet of the wine together towards your nose so that you can appreciate the bouquet of the wine. Remember here that the bouquet effects what and how we taste. I think that a lot of people forget or simply don't know that our sense of smell goes right along with our taste. Have you ever had a cold and had trouble breathing and noticed that your taste was also off? The reason why is our sense of smell goes hand in hand with taste. This is also one reason we swirl the wine which in turn releases the aromas in the wine so that they can be funneled toward the opening in the bowl which is where our nose is and therefore also why we stick our nose into the glass. Try this experiment. Hold your nose tightly and put some spicy food in your mouth. Do you taste it? The bowl shouldn't have anything that detracts from the swirl of the wine or the appearance of the wine. A red wine bowl will also be shorter that a white wine bowl. The bowl in a wine glass is very important to the taste of the wine. The bowl should also be big enough to be able to pour at least 6 oz of wine and still leave enough room for our swirl. There are also glasses specially made for Champagnes which are called Flutes. They are Tulip shaped and are the best for Champagne due to the carbonation in the Champagne. This shape also helps ensure that the bubbles in the carbonation  and the flavor remain in the glass longer since the bubbles are instrumental in the flavor.

Lip - The lip or edge of the bowl is where we drink the wine from. The lip of a red wine is wider that the lip of a white wine glass because the aroma is said to be less delicate and directs the wine to the back and sides of the mouth. The thinner the lip is also means that the glass detracts less from the wine.

Material - The one thing we have left to talk about for wine glasses is material. There is glass, Crystal and Titanium Crystal (fairly new) and I guess even plastic that can be used for wine. Wine glasses that are made from glass are great for large parties since they can go right into the dishwasher when done with and if one breaks just go back to the dollar store and buy another one. If I was having a large party I would use inexpensive (all purpose) glasses for my wine since I probably wouldn't be serving expensive wine anyway. When it comes to me enjoying a nice bottle of wine or performing a wine tasting I use my crystal wine glasses made by Libbey of all names. I actually use the Platinum Collection which is Titanium Crystal (see the picture). The crystal is very thin however and care must be taken so as to not break it. These glasses are actually available on EBay right now for $13 for a set of 4 so you do not have to spend a lot to get a beautiful set of crystal wine glasses. You can use hot water and just a tiny bit of soap to clean these in the sink, wiped down with a soft lint free towel or cloth and they are ready for the display case again. Is the material important scientifically? Well honestly no ones really knows for sure. Crystal is rougher that glass and that might add the ability to assist with the bouquet as the wine swirls across the glass. Other then that there is no evidence that materials matter. I myself however, could never sit down (if I had any say in the matter) and drink wine from a plastic cup. Call me a wine snob that is fine but I do believe that wine does demand some sort of class.

Conclusion -  I am not a believer in all the wine snobbery by any means, but wine is not beer. I actually wrote an article a few months ago on this blog about the wine hype (marketing) and how a lot of it is truly nonsense. Maximilian Riedel, the 11th generation of famed Riedel glass maker and CEO of Riedel Crystal America says this about his favorite wine glass “My favorite glass has an emotional connection; it’s the first varietal specific glass ever created (by my grandfather), a Pinot Noir glass (the Riedel Sommeliers Burgundy Grand Cru / Pinot Noir Wine Glass)which holds 37 ounces, more than a single bottle."  In an April 6, 2011 article of Wine Spectator Magazine entitled "It's Just a Wineglass", writer Tim Fish says "If you're ready to move up, a good, entry-level glass will cost between $6 and $10. The first thing to remember is to keep it simple. Start with two types of glasses: one for reds and one for whites, or more specifically, use "Bordeaux" and "Burgundy" glasses designed to bring out the best of the aromas and flavors of particular wine types." This I feel is great advice. If you have decided to move from plastic to real glass there are lower lines of crystal glass wear that you can purchase. This will indeed show you that there is a difference in the taste of the wine and the bouquet. After you make this jump into glassware or upgrade in glassware the sky is the limit on how much you can spend but in my opinion spending a lot of money is unnecessary. Some final words pertaining to glassware. Have a set of wine glasses for times when you have a large group of company and are not planning on doing a wine tasting. An inexpensive set of wine glasses set you back $10 for a set of four and that is well worth the piece of mind when it comes to a shattered glass that you can just clean up and throw away and not think twice about as opposed to a glass that shatters and you just broke up a beautiful set of wine glasses. Have another set for you and your "special" friends, those friends that appreciate a good wine and a good vessel to drink it from. I am sure some friends come to mind as you read this. These types of glass can set you back $40 or so however I challenge you to find the Libbey glasses I mentioned above, at your favorite wine store and tell me you are disappointed with them. With that being said you actually have no excuse for drinking good or even semi-decent wine out of a plastic cup. For around the same price you can have the Libbey Crystal glasses I mentioned. I am sure that every maker has the same line of glass for about the same price. I hope this article shed some light on the wine glass issue. I hope that those of you who have newly discovered wine or made your very first trip to Napa Valley will have enjoyed the wines so much that they will go right out and buy a decent set of wine glasses that suite their own needs. 
   If you have enjoyed this article please check out my Facebook which is dedicated solely to wine. This is more of a personally look into me (The Desert Wine Guy) and his two backyard vineyards. Here is the link and I hope to hear from you there.
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                                                                                                           The Desert Wine Guy