The shape of an wine glass has a notable effect upon the way that the wine interact with both oxygen and your palate. While many people believe that wine glasses is all the same, the shape of a wine glass actualy have an impact upon the way that air can interact with the wine and the way that the wine interacts with your tongue. For instance, wines is often served in wide wine glasses, such as balloon shaped wine glasses.
These wine glasses allow for wine to “breathe,” or for the oxygen to interact with the wine. Such interactions with oxygen can help to reduce harsh tannin in red wines, and can help the scents of the wine to escape from the wine. Conversely, using a narrow wine glass for a wine that is particularly sensitive to flavor, such as Pinot Noir, may prevent the wine from releasing it’s characteristic floral scents.
How the Shape of a Wine Glass Changes the Taste of Wine
Different type of wine are better enjoyed in different types of wine glasses due to the way that there shape allows the wine to interact with the air and your palate. For instance, people release sparkling wines into narrow wine glasses with chimney shaped rims to help preserve the sparkling bubbles within the wine. Additionally, wine glasses for rosé wines have flared rims to allow the wine’s scents to escape from the wine.
Thus, the shape of the wine glass that you select has an impact upon the way that you will perceive the flavor of the wine. Furthermore, the chemical reaction between wine and oxygen is a real chemical reaction, so the shape of the wine glass is also a real tool that can be used to change the way that wine taste. Many people fill their wine glasses to the brim when serving wine.
By doing so, though, they prevent the wine from being swirled within the wine glass. Swirling wine within the wine glass add oxygen to the wine, and allows the wine’s aromatic compound to become released. Thus, by ensuring that there is headspace within the wine glass for the wine to breathe, one can better allow the wine to interact with the oxygen in the air.
For instance, filling a large wine bowl with red wine only one-quarter of the way will allow the wine to breathe and interact with the air, but if there is not enough headspace within the wine glass, the wine wont be able to interact with the air. The temperature of the wine within the wine glass can also impact the way that one taste the wine. Wines that are too warm will taste alcoholic, while wines that are too cold will taste muted and sharply.
Most wine glasses has stems to allow the drinker to hold the wine away from the wine liquid. By holding the wine with the bowl of the wine glass, the body heat will transfer into the wine. This body heat can raise the temperature of the wine, which may ruin the taste of wines such as chilled white wines or sparkling wines.
For those who may be starting to collect wine glasses, there is no need to purchase many different types of wine glasses at once. A universal wine glass is a good type to start with, as it can be used to drink both red and white wines. As one gains more knowledge about wine and wine pairing, though, it may be beneficial to also purchase other wine glasses, such as wine glasses specifically for drinking Burgundy wine or Bordeaux wine.
Finally, proper care and storage of wine glasses will ensure their longevity. Many people may store their wine glasses with the rim of the glass in contact with the table when stored within the cabinet in the kitchen. However, storing wine glasses in this manner may trap both stale air and the smell of the cabinet within the wine glasses.
Thus, storing the wine glasses upright or hanging them from the wall will allow wines to avoid exposure to these bad odors. Additionally, people should avoid placing crystal wine glasses into the dishwasher. The heat from the dishwasher and the chemicals often within the dishwasher can etch the crystal wine glasses, which will reduce the clarity of the glasses.
Ensuring proper care of wine glasses will ensure that they retain their clarity and their functionality over time.
