A good wine requires a good wine glass to fully experience its real quality. For this it is necessary to choose the right shape of glass to emphasize the specific character of the wine. The photo gallery below shows seven of the most important wine glass shapes – for the ultimate enjoyment of your favourite wines.
A high quality wine glass is characterized by a number of properties. The volume should always be proportional to the intensity and complexity of the wine. The chalice and stem must be harmoniously balanced so that you can roll the full glass comfortably. High quality lenses are usually made of thin glass and have a smooth rim instead of a rim, which is often the case with cheaper lenses.
The nature of the glass itself also affects the enjoyment of the wine: in a high quality crystal glass, wine has a more intense and clearer aroma than in a simple, cheaper glass. After all, a good wine glass should be aesthetically pleasing and a pleasure to look at.
The different wine glass shapes
The classic glass for sparkling wine is a ‘flute’, a tall, narrow glass. It provides a smaller surface area for the wine and allows the carbon dioxide to rise in delicate strings of bubbles and not get lost too quickly. This is particularly important in the case of sparkling wines such as prosecco, where the carbon dioxide is less well integrated.
The typical champagne glass , unlike the flute, has the shape of a tulip and is perfect for sparkling wines of exceptionally high quality. After all, the finesse and complexity of such wines require a certain amount of space to develop. Such glasses are normally only half filled.
The standard for white wine should not be too great because a simple wine will get lost in it. On the other hand, the glass must have sufficient volume to embrace the bouquet. An important property for all wine glasses is that the chalice gradually narrows towards the top. This makes the aroma more intense and ensures that the glass can be pleasantly rolled.
High quality white wines , especially the rounder ones, should not be ‘enclosed’ in a small space. A slightly larger version of the white wine glass can therefore be used for wines such as Bourgogne. This style of glass is also ideal for rosé wine.
The standard red wine glass is also shaped like a tulip but is usually a bit higher and wider to provide a bit more volume.
In France, the traditional glass for red Burgundy wines is known as a ‘balloon’ because of its shape. This generous form ensures that the subtle aroma of the wine can develop in the best possible way. These glasses are also particularly suitable for premium pinot noir, Piemonte, Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Balloon glasses may be filled to a maximum of one third.
he typical Bordeaux glass is particularly high and has the shape of a tulip. It is suitable for all high quality red wines that are round enough and have a firm structure. It may be filled with a maximum of one eighth litre of wine.