Wine is one of the world's most popular beverages, but it can be difficult to enjoy its full potential if you're not drinking it in the proper glassware. Whether you're a casual wine drinker or a more discerning connoisseur, the right glassware can enhance the aromas, flavors and textures of any type of wine.
The Best Wine Glasses for Different Types of Wine
There are many different types of wine glasses, so it can be difficult to choose the perfect style for each type of wine. However, there are a few basic guidelines you should keep in mind when shopping for new glassware:
The Most Important Part of the Glass: The Bowl
While the base and stem may vary from wine glass to wine glass, the bowl is the most important aspect of any glass. It is the main feature that holds the wine, and it should be large enough to comfortably swirl and narrow enough at the top to capture the aromas of the wine.
The Best Red Wine Glasses:
For bold and complex red wines that require a lot of air to breathe (think Pinot Noir or Zinfandel), you'll want a wider rim to allow the wine to expand and release its flavor and aromas. These larger bowls also allow more ethanol vapors to escape, minimizing the intensity of the flavors and helping to soften spicy or earthy aromas in these wines.
The Best White Wine Glasses:
These wine glasses have a smaller bowl size than red wine glasses, and they are designed to preserve and showcase aromas and maintain temperature consistency, so chilled aromas are not diminished as much by the cold. Great for high-acid, aromatic whites like Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc as well as rose wines.
The Best Champagne/Sparkling Wine Glasses:
These glassware is designed to help enhance the flavor of sparkling wines by capturing their bubbles and allowing them to expand as they reach the top of the glass. These glasses are taller and more slender than most other styles of wine glasses, so they're ideal for serving bubbly on special occasions or at any time where it's important to get the most out of your champagne.
The Best White Wine Glasses for High Acid/Low Alcohol:
These glasses are smaller bowled and designed to highlight and preserve the more delicate aromas of higher acid white wines, like Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The smaller bowls also prevent oxidation in the brighter, more flavor-forward whites that these styles of wine are known for.
The Best Wine Glasses For Low Alcohol/Medium Body:
If you're serving medium-bodied, slightly less alcoholic wine, opt for a stemless glass with a simple U-shaped profile and an average rim size. These stemless glassware is a safer, spill-proof alternative to traditional stemmed wine glasses and works for most medium-bodied wines.
The Best Wine Glasses to Pair With Specific Varietals:
These glasses are specially designed to complement specific grape varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. They are typically longer than other types of wine glasses and come in a wide range of shapes. They are the perfect way to enhance the flavors and aromas of these wines without having to spend a fortune on different glassware sets.
