Musings

The subject of glassware has come up lately at some of the wine tastings we have been leading. I thought it might be worthwhile to talk a bit about a very simple way to boost your enjoyment of wine.

First of all, I am definitely in favor of using a glass to drink wine. You can consume wine out of a cup, mug or even a paper cup for that matter. All are usually preferable to drinking wine out of a dish, with a straw, or from the small of your lovers back. (Actually that last option can enhance the wine tasting experience, but does not really enhance the flavor of the wine per se. Further experimentation is worthwhile - in the interest of advancing wine appreciation.) In addition, taking long swigs directly from your bottle of Dom Perignon no longer suggests any great degree of manliness; being incredibly hip; or having been blessed with an extra helping of saviore faire. It does tend to imply that you might be more appreciative of a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a Moon Pie (a classic food pairing in many parts of the South and a current favorite in the West Wing of the White House.)

So why not use whatever glassware is in the cupboard or the fancy Irish cut crystal that Grandma left? Because even for beginning tasters, the appreciation of wine involves all the senses, and the choice of glassware influences its sight, aroma, and taste.

With this in mind, glassware for red or white (still) wines should meet certain criteria:

• Clarity and thinness for visual perception. Clear glass (as opposed to cut crystal or decorated glass) allows the wine's full, rich color to appear and be appreciated.
• Most good wine glasses are tulip-shaped (they narrow toward the rim of the glass) to channel the volatile aroma and flavor essences of the wine into the nerve receptors at the rear of your nasal cavity when you sniff the wine. As a rule, the bowls of red wine glasses are larger and wider than those for whites. A 12-ounce glass, at a minimum, provides a bowl large enough to hold a generous serving and yet leave plenty of room to swirl and aerate.
• The rim shape determines where the wine initially lands on the tongue, affecting its taste perceptions. A thin-rimmed bowl is important since the thinner the rim, the less the glass distracts from the wine as it enters the mouth.

Champagne (and all sparkling wines) should also be served in appropriate glassware. It all has to do with the bubbles and how they are released to the atmosphere. The glass needs to be a narrow cylinder coming to a point at the bottom. The narrow top surface of the wine minimizes the area from which the bubbles can escape.

For wine lovers willing to spend more, there are glasses specifically designed to highlight the attributes of different wine types. In terms of acidity, tannins, fruit flavors and aromatic components, different types of wine have different palate profiles. These are sensed by different parts of the tongue, nose and throat. Wine glasses can be designed to channel the wine to the parts of the mouth where you will get the optimal tasting experience. It is said that there is a different place in the mouth for each wine; hence the different shapes for the glasses.

There are plenty of fine glass producers out there. The most famous producer of such glassware is Georg Riedel, an Austrian whose collections of crystal stemware are favored by restaurateurs and professional wine tasters throughout the world. Another excellent glass producer is Spiegelau, which is just as good but less expensive. Both produce a glass for just about any type of wine you would want to drink. (They do not make a glass for "Two Buck Chuck", so if this is your wine (and I use the term loosely), I suggest you forego the glass and continue drinking directly from the bottle - the glass costs more than what's inside and more care was taken in producing it.)

Whether a different glass for each variety and age of wine is necessary is certainly a matter of opinion - and finances. Most of us can get by with a good red wine glass, a good white wine glass and the perfect glass for bubbles. It is clear however that tasting wine from a good glass will make a difference in your appreciation of a wine. The key is a large enough bowl and a thin rim. A glass with a long stem lets you swirl the wine more easily (swirling helps bring out the smells of the wine, which is very important to the tasting process). The long stem also keeps the heat of your hand away from the wine.

Here are a few more tips, regardless of the glassware you choose:

• Keep enough glasses on hand to accommodate dinner parties and other social occasions. (Or if you generally don't like the people at your dinner parties, keep a couple of good stems for yourself and let everyone else use those clearance glasses you bought at Rite-Aid.)
• When serving, don't fill the glass more than one third to half full, so the taster can swirl the wine in the bowl to release its aromas, without spilling.
• Hand-wash your glasses in lukewarm water with a small amount of soap. (Be sure to rinse off all the soap! The tiniest amount will ruin your wine.)

Store clean glasses upright on a well ventilated shelf, or better yet, hang them upside down from a wooden glass rack.

Chances are if you aren't getting as much from your wine as others seem to, it might be your glassware. You won't get the subtleties that are waiting for you by drinking from a poorly designed glass.

(Due to customer requests, Guy du Vin is now offering Spiegelau glassware. Prices are $41 for 6 glasses. Glassware is only available in the Portland/Metro area.)

Spiegelau Vino Grande Chardonnay 12 oz

Spiegelau Vino Grande Burgundy 25 oz

Spiegelau Vino Grande Bordeaux 22 oz

Spiegelau Vino Grande Champagne 9 oz