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Choosing The Right Wine Glass To Enhance Fine Wines
by Fairfax Tolman
http://www.ftwine.com
You've probably heard that the glass in which you serve a
wine can enhance its flavor. According to the experts at
Riedel Glass in Austria, the glass in which you serve a wine
can certainly enhance its enjoyment. The shape and
composition of every Reidel glass is specifically designed
to present a particular varietal wine at its best. The
Austrian family has been designing wine glasses since the
1950s, though they've been in the glass business since the
1700s.
The shape of the glass can subtly influence such things as
the layering of vapors released by the wine by funneling
those vapors and concentrating the ones that are give the
wine its characteristic notes. It can also direct the flow
of wine so that it touches the palate or tongue at the place
where those notes are most likely to be tasted.
Many of the experts ridicule the idea that a bordeaux should
only be served in a bordeaux glass and a chianti in a
chianti glass. They claim that outside of the general
guidelines for wine glasses, the shape of the glass makes
little difference to the flavor and bouquet of the wine.
The glass making experts at Riedel Glass in Austria
disagree. Since 1958, when they first started their
experimentation with subtle variations of shape and design
in wine glasses, they have made an art of designing the
perfect glass in which to serve nearly every variety of
wine.
The company, founded by an Austrian family who have been
involved in the glassmaking industry since the 1700s, makes
fine lead crystal glasses. They claim that the shape of a
glass can subtly influence the presentation of fine wines by
gently emphasizing the most characteristic vapors and
collecting them in such a way that they are delivered to the
nose and the palate in a specific order.
Size is the single most important factor in enhancing the
flavor of a fine wine. In this case, bigger is definitely
better. The bowl of the glass should hold approximately 20
ounces. Resist the temptation to fill to the rim, though.
For best flavor, the glass should never be more than 1/3
full.
The best material for serving wine is lead crystal. Among
their other suggestions for the ideal wine glass are that it
should be colorless, transparent, have thin walls, be egg-
shapped with a wider base than rim, have a cut and polished
rim and have a stem so that the hand doesn't warm the
contents of the bowl.
White wines can be served in the same glass, though the more
delicate aroma and bouquet will benefit from a more narrow
shape and a slower taper to the mouth so that the vapors
aren't overwhelmed or lost.
White wines should be served in glasses that are narrower
and have a thinner taper to the mouth in order to preserve
the delicate notes of their lighter vapors. Red wines can be
served in glasses that are more goblet shaped to allow their
characteristic bouquet to gather and settle before being
delivered to the nose. Sparkling wines should be served in
tall, narrow flutes to minimize the exposure of the wine's
surface to the air and preserve its effervescent sparkle.
If you can only choose one glass, then the glass that you
choose should be a Bordeaux or Chardonnay glass, which are
nearly identical in shape. The differences are so minute
that even the most educated palate won't be able to tell any
difference in flavor or bouquet in wine served in either
glass.
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