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Picking Out Stemware

When it comes to wine, not all glasses are created equal. Wine glasses, also known as stemware, are an important part of drinking wine. Wine lovers are meticulous about the glasses that their wines are served in, and it turns out, with good reason.

Wine glasses come in different shapes and sizes depending on the type of wine that they are designed for. You do not have to have the top of the line expensive crystal wine glasses but all stemware should have some basic characteristics.

You can get wine glasses at most stores, and it is easy to find affordable wine glasses that suit your needs.

However, many glasses sold as wine glasses simply do not work well if you are a serious wine drinker because they do not have the characteristics listed below.

You do not need to have fancy stemware, just stemware that showcases the look, the flavor and the taste of the wine as you drink it.

It matters what the glass is made from

If you want to offend a wine connoisseur, serve them wine in a plastic cup. Wine should never be served in plastic, the wine will pick up on a plastic flavor and aroma and when it comes to drinking wine, the aroma and the flavor are both important. Unless you have no alternative, skip the plastic cups.

Wine glasses should be clear so that the color of the wine can be seen. Be paying attention to the color of the wine, you can tell about the types of grapes used, the age of the wine and other elements that make wine tasting enjoyable.

When you use frosted or colored glasses, you are removing the element of sight, which takes away from wine tasting. Use only clear glass for serving wine in and be careful to not buy glasses that are too thick.

The glass needs to have a stem

Wine glasses should have a stem because when you hold your wine glass by the bowl, the warmth of your hands will transfer to your wine.

Hold your wine glass only by the base and the stem and never by grabbing it by the bowl. Holding it by the stem also prevents you from getting fingerprints on the bowl, which looks untidy.

The glass needs to be large enough

Have you ever noticed that when you are in a restaurant that they never fill your wine glass to the top? The reason for that is that you should have enough room in the glass to swirl your wine before taking a sip of it.

Swirling helps to release the aromas in the wine, so that you can enjoy the smell of the wine before drinking it and when the glass is too small, this is not possible.

Swirling also allows the air to interact with the wine, and it volatizes it so that the aroma can better be inhaled.

Most wineglasses are too small as opposes to too large. You do not need to follow the principal of larger is better, simply ensure that you have a wine glass with an adequate sized bowl.

If you are serving red wine, the bowl of the glass should be larger, white wine is smaller, and sparkling wine is served in a tall glass and dessert wines in smaller glasses.

The top of the glass should be narrower than the bowl

A good wine glass has the base, the stem, and then the bowl of the glass, and the top of which narrows slightly. When you swirl the wine, it releases the aromas for you to enjoy and as you raise your glass to drink, the narrowed top works to concentrate the aroma better so you can enjoy it in full.

The aroma is concentrated by having a large bowl and a narrow opening, allowing the aroma to gather, without escaping without being enjoyed.

The rim should be thin, not thick, as some glasses have thick rims but wine glasses should have a thin rim, and indeed the entire wineglass should be thin, except for the stem and the base.

Types of Stemware

Although it is not necessary to have a different wine glass for each type of wine, some do prefer it. As long as your stemware has all of the above features, it will be sufficient for wine tasting or drinking.

If you want to get more professional about your stemware, then the following section details what glasses you should use for which type of wine.

Stemware for sparkling wine

Stemware for champagne and sparkling wine should have a profile that is tall and narrow. The glass still tapers at the top and the taller glass helps concentrate the look of the bubbles while still allowing the drinker to swirl and enjoy the champagne or sparkling wine.

Stemware for white wine

Wine glasses for white wine are usually smaller than glasses for red wine. They should have a decent size bowl with a tapered top. You will find wine glasses that vary in their height and the shape of their bowl and some stemware is designed for specific white wines.

Unless you have the space to store them, and the money to have such a diverse collection of stemware you really only need one good white wine glass for yourself and your guests.

Stemware for red wine

Red wine glasses typically are the largest types of stemware and they are usually taller with large, rounded bowls. Red wines are more full-bodied than white wines, and the larger bowls allow for the aroma to really collect for your enjoyment.

It is not necessary to have more than one type of red wine glass but you will often see the main types of red wine glasses: Bordeaux glasses and burgundy glasses.

Burgundy glasses are typically used for Pinot Noir, Burgundy and other red wines that are aromatic such as Barolo, Nebbiolo, Tempranillo and Barbaresco.

Burgundy glasses have a larger bowl that is wide, allowing the complex aromas to collect and then the narrow top ensures that the aroma is delivered right to your nose. Aromatic red wines tend to be acidic, and the tops of the burgundy glass, while tapering in from the bowl will then flare out just slightly.

The reason for the slight flare at the top is that the design of the glass ensures that the wine hits the tip of your tongue when you drink, where you taste sweetness the most.

Bordeaux glasses also have a large bowl, but not as large as the burgundy glasses and a narrowed top, but without the slight flare. These glasses are designed for the enjoyment of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. They make a perfect all-purpose red wine glass as well.

Caring for your stemware

It is a faux pass to hand somebody a wine glass that is streaked or that has water marks in it; anything on the glass detracts from the visual aspect of the wine, and that is why etched and colored wine glasses are never recommended.

Your stemware should be taken care of carefully to ensure that it stays clean and unbroken.

It is not recommended to wash them in the dishwasher, for one, the narrow stems can easily break if the shift against something else and two, dishwashers can leave streaks and water marks. Stemware is best cleaned by washing it by hand after use. Always wash your glasses after each use in hot water.

Some experts say that you should use hot water and no dishwashing soap because if not rinsed off totally, it will ruin the next glass of wine poured into the glass.

If you do use dishwashing soap, use only the minimal amount and ensure that you rinse the glass completely. When you are done rinsing the glass, hold it up to the light to make sure that the glass is clean, if not, wash it again.

Do not dry your wine glasses. Wine glasses should be allowed to drip dry. Once they are dry you can then use a clean towel to wipe them down with, removing any water marks from their surface and inside and then you should store them in a cabinet.

You should store your wine glasses upright, in a closed cabinet so that they are not out in the open where dust can collect or contaminate the inside of the glass.