Different Wine Glasses Shapes | Does It Really Matter?
Just like not all wines are made the same, not all wine glasses are made the same. It’s easy to forget that wine glasses are made for a function, not just to look pretty. Now with that being said, how do you choose the right wine glass for you? And does it really matter?
We have already answered the big wine questions like do you really need a wine fridge. Now throughout this article we answer everything from the structure, function and best tips for choosing the correct wine glass. We will answer all your burning questions you never knew you had. Like why red wine glasses are larger than white wine glasses? Why flutes are so narrow and the big mistake you’re probably making with your glass of wine!
But before all that, for those of you who don’t care and just want to know which wine glasses I recommend the most. Here's the general list…
The Perfect White Wine Glass
For white wine, we want a longer stem to keep our hands away from the bowl. For the bowl, we want it to be narrow to hold the temperature, but long to funnel aroma.
Best Budget Wine Glass
Dartington Crystal Set of 4
Best Luxury Wine Glass
Riedel Vinum Chablis - Pay for 6 get 8
Best Middle Ground Wine Glass
Elixir Glasswares Hand Blown White Wine Set of 4
The Perfect Red Wine Glass
For red wine, we want a wider bowl to increase the surface area, with enough length to swirl and concentrate aroma. As a Smartblend Rule Of Thumb the largest part of the glass should be around the lower part of the bowl, which is the level you want your wine to sit.
Best Budget Red Wine Glass
Best Luxury Red Wine Glass
Riedel Winewings
Best Middle Ground Red Wine Glass
Luxbe Crystal Red Wine Set of 4
The Perfect Sparkling Wine Glass
For sparkling wine, there are generally 3 types of glasses. The coupe, also known as a champagne saucer, which has a larger surface area. The flute, which is a straight up and down narrow glass, perfect for keeping the sparkle in your sparkling wine, and the tulip, perfect for keeping your sparkling wine cold, bubbly and concentrating aroma. The latter being the best in my recommendation.
Best Budget Sparkling Wine Glass
Diamante Champagne Flutes set
Best Luxury Sparkling Wine Glass
Crystal Cut Luxury Flutes
Best Middle Ground Sparkling Wine Glass
Elixir Tulips Set
With those glasses you will be pretty much sorted for any occasion. More expensive, better designed glasses for yourself and when you want to show off. Cheaper glasses when you have a clumsy guest round.
Scroll right to the bottom of this article for recommendations on grape specific glasses as well as my top recommendation on trail blazing wine makers. That’s right, just when you thought the world of wine couldn’t get more complicated, I'm now telling you that there's more to a wine glass than just red and white. There's also grape specific glassware.
First and foremost, let’s address the elephant in the room…
What is the function of a wine glass? How does it make a difference
The Stem
Something that is general knowledge is that serving temperature is important to the taste of wine. At the very least we know the general rule of thumb that white wine should be chilled in the fridge and red wine should be chilled at room temperature. The wine aficionados will say it's a lot more than that, with fridge temperatures and room temperatures varying massively. However, that's not what we are looking at today. Today is all about the glass.
What the stem does is allow you to hold the glass without changing the temperature of the wine. Warm hands wrapped around glass quickly heats the glass up. Not a biggie with red wine, but with white wine that benefits from being chilled, that's going to make an impact.
Another benefit of a good stem is swirling the wine, which helps release aromas trapped in the liquid and also makes you look cool.
The Bowl diameter
The bowl is the part of the glass that your wine sits in. From the stem upwards, the difference in glassware is generally all about aroma. A big part of enjoying wine is the smell. At the end of the day, if the wine smells like sh*t then you’re probably going to be thinking about that when you taste it…
Aroma and taste go hand in hand. The smell of something is massive when it comes to building a flavour. In the case of wine and generally speaking, the larger the surface area the more aroma is released. Which is why many “good” wine glasses have such large bowls. The diameter of the bowl is important as that's what will help release the wine aromas. This is helpful when it comes to better cheaper wines that may have little aroma. Helping release more aroma is always going to be beneficial to your drinking experience.
That being said, you may be wondering why red wine glasses are generally much larger than white wine glasses. You may have noticed that white wine glasses have smaller bowls. Why is that? It’s not that white wine aroma isn’t important, instead, it goes back to temperature.
The large bowl may be very beneficial to aroma but not so much temperature. To maintain a constant temperature you want a smaller, tighter bowl with a smaller service area. Which is why red wine glasses are larger, or rather wider than white wine glasses.
The bowl length
So, we have a large diameter. Which as we now know, is helping release those aromas. However, where are those aromas going? Let's say you drink wine out of a coupette or a mug. Both have the ability to hold the glass without changing the temperature, both have a large diameter. So why not use them to drink wine?
The reason is because once those aromas have been released (thank you large bowl diameter) they are now just being dispensed wherever they can. We want them to be released into our noses. For that, we need to collect and concentrate those aromas. Which is where the length of the bowl comes into play.
Having a taller bowl, which tapers at the top, allows that aroma to collect inside the glass, and be funnelled straight into our nose every time we lift the glass towards our face.
A note on sparkling wine
The classic coupe which we associate with Martinis was originally used to drink champagne. Somewhere along the way people began to understand the movement of bubbles. And with that, we ditched the wide bowl for sipping sparkling wine in replace for a taller glass.
That narrow shape of the classic champagne flute we have today helps concentrate the bubbles. Keeping our sparkling wine, well, sparkling. If we was to serve sparkling wine in the types of glasses we use for still red or white wine. The bubbles would quickly disappear.
Those bubbles also do more than just give us a pleasant tingle to the tongue. They also carry flavour as well as the bubbles lifting the aroma. With aroma still the key word of this article, its good to note that sparkling wine will still benefit from a wider bowl and narrower rim. This is what’s known as the “Tulip shape”
Does buying the correct wine glass really matter?
So with all that being said, if you’re still with me, you’re probably wondering if all that matters. We’ve all drunk wine straight from the bottle which has none of that “beneficial qualities to drinking” and have had a bloody good time doing it. We have also probably drunk wine from a mug or rocks glass and fully enjoyed it. So does it really matter?
The answer is no, but yes, but also maybe. It's complicated. Drinking cheap wine out of a properly designed glass is definitely going to help get the most bang for your buck.
Why buy £30 wine when you can buy £8 wine and have it taste like £30. That’s what a good wine glass will do. Sure, you will end up spending slightly more on the glass than the ones in the Asda bargain bin. But the investment pays off after just a few uses.
Saying that, how much does it really help? I mean, do you really smell and analyse every glass of wine you have? Or do you just drink wine because you like the taste. If that's the case then bettering the flavour doesn’t really matter, because you already enjoy it. If you’re not picking out every aroma with every glass, dissecting the layers of flavour and marrying the colour with your wine colour chart. Then how much is a “proper” glass really going to benefit you? Not much.
Middle ground
There is a middle ground to this. At the very least everyone should have a general red wine glass and a general white wine glass. If you love a certain type of wine then get a glass specific for that wine, but if you’re just a casual wine drinker, then get a general all-purpose glass fit for many styles. You don’t have to get the most expensive, unless you really want to.
The big mistake you’re most likely making with your glass of wine.
Okay, at the start of this article I promised you I’d share a mistake you’re probably making with your wine drinking. And here it is: Filling the glass to the top.
Hey, I get it. You have a bottle of wine, fill that badboy glass to the rim and get drinking. However, remember everything we spoke about? The importance of aroma, the diameter of the glass and the length? All that goes out the window when you overfill your glass. Wine glasses are designed to be filled in a way where the vast majority of the glass is left empty in order to concentrate that aroma. That “dead space” in the glass is essential for flavour building.
If that's the case with you, then there's no point buying a functional designed wine glass, because it just won't be beneficial. You’d be much better of checking out my guide on wine accessories.
Don’t think you’re overflowing the glass? Here's a few things to note. First of all, how many glasses of wine do you get from one bottle? As a standard you should be getting around 6 glasses. That’s right, if you’re getting 3 glasses (we all do it, don't worry) then you’re doubling the amount that should be in the glass.
Secondly and most importantly, a well designed wine glass will always allow for a larger surface area of wine then the rim of the glass. It's by far the most functional way to enjoy wine. So keep that in mind when you’re filling your glass, the widest part of the glass is where the wine should sit, giving it enough space to funnel aromas.
The best wine glass brands
Every glass maker and there uncle seem to have made a wine glass, but there are only a few names in the world of wine that are absolutely perfect for there intended use. These are the glass makers who craft grape specific glasses, that being wine glasses specifically made for a certain variety of wine grape. They are also the creators of absolute function in wine glass designing.
These brands tend to be more expensive then what you’d get from Amazons own brand. However, the quality is far superior. What it comes down to in the end is value for money. And throughout these collections there’s a lot of value for money.
Here are my most notable recommended buys…
Riedel
Riedel are pioneers in the world of glassmaking. They really are at the top of there craft and the value for money is amazing. They also happened to pioneer the “glass for grape” movement and was one of the first brands to really start to create glassware for function rather then look. That being said they still look amazing.
My top recommendation for Riedel is there winewings collection. These are beautifully shaped glasses specifically designed for certain wines. If you get there tasting set, you pretty much have a glass for any wine variety you will drink.
Another worthy note is the Pinot Noir specific glasses that work great for a number of red wines. Check them out on Amazon USA here and Amazon UK here.
Schott Zwiesel
Schott Zwiesel are Luxury German wine glass makers. There wine glasses truly are high quality, especially there all-purpose wine glasses. These are high quality glassware made in a way that would benefit a range of different wines from full bodied to light. If you were only going to get one wine glass, Schott Zwiesel would be my recommendation. Just check what people are saying in the review section on Amazon…
Mark Thomas Double Bend
Mark Thomas double bend wine glasses just had to make it into this list. First of all, they are stunningly made. They have such a unique look due to the double bends on the bowl where normal wine glasses would have a smooth finish. That bend is also functional in concentrating aroma.
Luigi Bormioli Talismano
Josephine No. 1
Personally taste - A final note
As a final note, at the end of the day all this information is great to have. If you’re a wine lover, this is great stuff to know in order to help you understand a part of the world of wine that often goes unnoticed. There's a lot of knowledge available for wines but the thing we drink those wines from, the thing we serve compliment the wine is often overlooked.
But don’t think you have to follow the rules. You may love Pinot Noir but that does not mean you have to drink from a Pinot Noir specific glass. The biggest factor in wine glasses which we are yet to mention, bigger than the aroma, the function and the design, is the feel. If it feels clumsy in your hand, if it's not comfortable or you simply don’t like it then it's always going to hinder your drinking experience.
Take me for example, even though the classic champagne saucer is now thought of as outdated and counter productive to enjoying sparkling wine. I use them as my main sparkling wine glass. And why? Because I just like them. And that benefits the experience more than any other function… That being said I wouldn’t mind a Riedel Winewings Collection.
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