Wine Glass Types

It seems that there is always something new for the wine lover to learn, and while the wine glass types may not be the most important part of the wine experience, knowledge of this subject might just make your wine tasting experience that much more enjoyable. Plus, you can impress (or annoy) your friends with your extensive knowledge of all the different wine glass types.

The Glass
The glass itself has three parts: the bowl, the stem, and the foot, as shown in the diagram below:

How to hold the glass
This may seem obvious, but most people do this wrong. The correct way to hold a wine glass is by the stem, not the bowl. The reason for this is simple. If you hold the glass by the bowl, the heat from your hand warms up the wine. Since most wines are meant to be served at a specific temperature, this should be avoided.

By holding the glass by the stem, you can hold the glass all day without affecting the temperature of the wine with your hand. This also keeps your fingerprints off the glass, which can detract from the appearance of the wine.I have to recommend against holding your pinkie up while drinking, as this will make you look like an english schoolmarm. However, if you are a very proper person, or an english schoolmarm, go ahead and stick that pinky up.

Wine Glass Shapes
There are 3 basic wine glass shapes: red wine glasses, white wine glasses, and champagne flutes. In addition to these 3 basic shapes, there are countless in-between shapes, artistic glasses, and specialty glasses.

Red wine glasses are characterised by their wider, rounder bowl. This shape is functional, as it allows as much oxygen as possible into the glass to aerate, or oxidate the wine, thus releasing maximum flavor and aroma. See my page on serving wine for more information on why this is important. Within the red wine glass types, there are specialty glasses with subtle differences of their own. The Bordeax glass is an oversize wine glass, taller and wider than a normal red wine glass. This shape is designed to direct the flow of wine to the back area of the tongue, which works well with full-bodied red wines. The Burgundy glass is even broader, with a slightly narrower rim, designed to direct the wine to the front of the tongue, and to gather the aromas of more delicate reds, like Pinot Noir.

White wine glass types vary greatly in shape and size. The basic rule is that a skinnier glass with a narrow opening is better for a lighter, crisper wine, and a wider glass with a broad opening is better for a more full-bodied wine.

This is because the more full-bodied wines, like Chardonnay, respond well to oxidation, much like a red wine. Lighter, sweeter wines, however, do not respond well to oxidation. The glass is therefore made narrower to let in as little air as possible. So, as a rule of thumb, choose a narrower glass, for a lighter wine, and a wider glass for a more full-bodied wine.

White wine glass

Champagne flutes are even narrower than normal white wine glasses. This is because champagnes and sparkling wines are carbonated, and exposure to air will eventually make the wine go flat. Therefore, to keep the bubbly bubbly, so to speak, the glass opening is small to reduce the surface area of the wine that is exposed to the air.

Champagne flute

In addition to the glass types discussed above, there are a full range of other shapes and other specialty glasses, including sherry glasses, snifters, chardonnay glasses, and all kinds of artsy decorative glasses that are just for looks and fun. Be sure to check out my page on wine gifts for all kinds of fun gift ideas, including wine glasses. Have fun impressing your friends with all your new found wine glass knowledge!

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