Standing Up For The Wine Glass
The wine glass is the most significant last mile agent that determines the fate of the best of wines and yet remains the unsung and often debated element in the vinous journey for no good reason at all.
Why should wine only be consumed in a wine glass?
Wine is sometimes perceived and criticized even as unapproachable and choice of snobs because some things that need to be done properly when drinking wine. One of those things is to drink wine from wine glasses only. This isn’t just a fuss– there are compelling reasons that make this effort entirely worth it. Wine needs its own exclusive glass to ensure a good if not spectacular tasting experience. It’s a fact that every wine enthusiast will surely swear by. Wine is distinct for several reasons and the emphasis on aromas and flavours as being essential to actually liking the stuff. The wine glass is essential for one to be able to discern all of the wine’s aromas and flavours.
A wine glass is important because when poured into a wine glass, the design of the glass (rounded bottom with its sides tapering up and inwards at the rim) allows the wine to breathe. As the wine comes in contact with the bottom of the glass, its aromas are released and contained in that vital space between the wine and the rim of the glass.
This area is called the fume chamber and must be empty which explains why a wine glass should only ever be filled one third. The tip of the tongue picks up sweetness (fruit), the sides sourness (acidity) and the back of the tongue, the bitterness (tannins). Sometimes the design of the glass can also determine how the drinker needs to tilt one’s head back for the wine to land on that specific spot on the tongue. Interestingly, the shape of the glass also controls the flow of the wine in to your mouth. A wider rimmed glass allows the wine to enter the mouth slower, spreading the wine across the side of the palate. The size of the bowl determines the wine’s ability to ‘breathe’. Red wines require a wider bowl as these wines have tannic structure as well as fruit and therefore need more surface contact to breathe and release the aromas while white wines drink perfectly well in narrower bulbs that concentrate the fruit flavours and acidity. There is so much more to literally ‘pour’ over on the subject though the point of the wine glass is as compellingly clear as a generous splash of a vintage Tuscan red. Do it justice in proper bulbous crystal. Cheers!
