Saturday, September 19, 2009

Tutorial For Wine Glasses

By Miller Lee

The most important part of wine tasting is the shape of the wine glasses. Wine glasses create the balance of flavor needed to fully appreciate the tasting experience. A wine glass was made with the shape they have for very specific reasons.

Red wine glasses all consist of these three components: base, shorter stem, and a wide bowl and mouth. The bowl is shaped to create the bouquet of the wine to enhance the flavor. The mouth of the red wine glass is wide so that it allows you to sip the wine allowing you to taste it at the front of your palette.

The surface area of the bowl of the red wine glass helps to oxygenate and allows for a greater surface area to evaporate the wine. The character of red wine is strong and bold and the bowl allows for this taste to come through. Another function of the large bowl is to be used to hold the glass, keeping the wine at the desired room temperature.

White wine glasses have the same structure as red wine glasses consisting of a base, stem and bowl. The major difference between the two is that the white wine glass bowl is much narrower and taller which helps to keep the delicate bouquet held together. Also, the white wine glass has a taller stem than the red wine glass which provides a place to hold the glass so as not to warm the wine because white wine should be served chilled.

The white wine glass has a smaller mouth than a red wine glass which makes you tilt your head back in order to drink it. White wine is meant to be tasted towards the back of your palette. The part of the palette where you taste the wine is important to the wine tasting experience.

Champagne, yet another type of wine, also boasts its very own glass design. The perfect champagne glass is called a flute. Flute glasses are very tall and narrow which maintains the effervescence and bubbles for much longer than any other shape of glass.

It has become apparent by now that wine glasses serve more than just the purpose of having a container to hold your wine in but to also help create the perfect flavor. Every type of wine has its own glass that it should be used with to enjoy the smells and tastes to the utmost. Pairing wine with food is also another experience that should not be missed!

White wine goes beautifully with all types of seafood. Red wine can be paired wonderfully with red meat and even chocolate! Experiment with wine to find your perfect combination, but just remember to use the right wine glasses!

About the Author:

No comments: