Robert Russell: Choosing the right wine glass

Robert Russell
Special to The Times
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Everyone has that experience where they finally see the light on some topic.

One recalls a landmark birthday when, older and wiser wine drinkers schooled a certain jug-Merlot drinker that had favorite glasses with painted sides, and thick rounded rims.

This conspiracy brought modern wine glass technology to his attention, even if he would not give up the jug. The result was about a half dozen sets of four proper wine glasses of various sizes and styles.

The result was almost immediate, with new stemware, the jug wine perceptively moved up in class. Wine variety enlightenment would follow; even though, it took 10 more years.

Wine glasses require proper size, proper design and proper materials. George Ravenscroft, an English glass merchant, developed leaded crystal in 1674. His product was durable, and it allowed one to see the wine in the glass much more clearly than in a pewter mug, or the relatively opaque glass of that day.

The original glasses were relatively small in capacity, about 70 m/l gross, or equal to 12-15 slosh-inducing pours from a modern 750 m/l bottle. They have evolved into relatively large bowls of 350-450m/l.

Nobody should fill a modern wine glass to the brim; in fact, a capacity of about 25% is optimum. The design of the glass indicates the level for a proper pour.

Glasses have rounded bottoms that widen to a point and then taper to the mouth, which sometimes may widen slightly again at the top, as in the case of a specially designed Burgundy glass. The wide point of the glass is the level that constitutes a proper pour.

This allows maximum surface area for the wine to distribute its volatility and aromas, as the taper more effectively directs those to the nose and olfactory bulbs.

There are dozens of wine glasses. Red wine glasses are usually larger in capacity than white ones. The five standards are from largest to smallest -- Bordeaux, Cabernet, Burgundy, Pinot Noir, and Standard Red.

White wine glasses are generally Chardonnay and Standard White. Traditionally, sparkling wines serve in Vintage, Tulip, and Flute shapes. Dessert wine glasses, usually smaller, have various shapes.

A relatively well-appointed home wine service could potentially contain three or four types of red wine glasses, two types of white wine glasses, and at least one glass designed for the sparklers. With a dinner for four-to six persons, that is a lot of crystal.

There has been a quantum shift in wine glass opinion over the last few years. The first fissure, one may have noticed, is in the sparkling wine category. The flute is out,

one might occasionally use a Tulip or a Vintage, but the worldwide trend is for use of a typical Chardonnay or Pinot Noir glass.

Additionally one may have noted several columns in the New York Times, advocating

one glass for all wines. Many sommeliers have trended to recommending one red glass and one white as being adequate, if not overkill. Storage wise this makes sense, especially for space-starved oenophiles.

What glasses meet those specifications? At this writer’s home, the preference for red wines is a Pinot Noir glass, and for whites a Standard white. However if they all broke tomorrow, the replacement would be only Pinot Noir glasses in a commensurate quantity.

One hopes that those flutes that say, “Party Like it is 1999” are lost in the hoped-for catastrophe. Moreover, all should banish those stem-less glasses, that cause body temperature to warm the wine, as one drinks.

What would be the specifications for materials and design for new glasses? One can locate thin glasses with thin rims, relatively easily. Those thick, rounded rim glasses are for cheap wine in dark bars.

Proper glasses produced in one piece with no seams on the stem, are preferable. Riedel glasses fill the bill: about $10-15 per stem- and dishwasher safe, too! Others as low as $4-5 per stem are available at any of your favorite general merchandise big boxes.

Make sure they ring when you thump them. Generally, one wants a relatively large bowl that allows swirling to release the aromas that help enjoyment and taste.

That brings one to the final focus on glassware. The purpose of proper wine glasses is to produce a positive experience. That experience includes identifying a wine that one likes, at a reasonable price, and serving it at a proper temperature, in a proper vessel, with a proper victual accompaniment.


You can reach Robert Russell at:

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