Essential Wine Glasses for the Household
The multitude of designs of wine glasses available can be quite overwhelming for the regular homeowner. This is especially true if there is no prior knowledge of which wine glasses are appropriate for certain wines. Choosing the bare essential wine glasses to be purchased for the home can then be quite a hassle. However, the key is to know the function of the parts of the wine glass to narrow down the options. On top of that, there have been recent findings that further reduce the number of essential wine glasses bought for use in the home.
The wine glass is composed of three main parts, the bowl, the stem and the foot. With the exception of tumblers, wine glasses differ in design depending on these three. The most important part is the bowl, wherein its design is meant for specific types of wine. Needless to say, the foot is what stabilizes the glass. There are no other notable functions of the foot other than to hold the wine glass upright unassisted. However, its very function is fundamental and should not be considered irrelevant to the wine glass. But it is indeed irrelevant to the wine to be poured on the glass. The stem may look like something added just to make drinking wine look dainty and sophisticated. However, it exists so that the hand does not come in contact with the bowl. The reason for this is that the hand should ideally be kept away from the bowl so it doesn't affect the temperature of the wine. With red wine glasses in particular, this is very important.
The shape of the bowl holds an important function as well. Red wine glasses in particular require the bowls to be wide. This is to allow rapid oxidation of the wine, which is said to be the best way to enjoy it. Narrow bowls on the other hand are designed to delay oxidation. This type of tall and narrow wine glass is referred to as flutes. Aside from minimizing oxidation, it also lets bubbles cling to its side, adding aesthetic value to a glass of champagne.
There are also different mouths for red wine glasses. Tapered ones are designed to trap the fruity aroma of red wine caused by oxidation. This is said to improve the drinking experience even more. Flared mouths on the other hand are designed to optimize the taste by letting the wine touch the front part of the tongue instead of focusing on the aroma. Bella Vino sells them both, which is great for those who wish to collect all wine glass designs. Wine tasters should go here and check their glasses.
However, for the regular person who just wants to enjoy wine from time to time, collecting these glasses is impractical. In fact, there are recent studies as previously mentioned that indicate there's no noticeable difference in the taste of red wine when using tumbler and red wine glass. It's a good idea to learn more about these findings but essentially, it suggests that the regular household can go by with using tumblers and champagne flutes for glasses.
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