Stemware

Selecting the right stemware is important:

You probably don't need a different glass for every single wine, however your glass selection is very important.  There are so many glasses to choose from that selection can be confusing and may result in a significant investment.  In general, the tulip shaped glass with a stem helps focus the most subtle aromas and best deliver the wine over the palate.  Wide rimmed glasses sometimes fail to focus the aromas toward the nose.  Glasses with no stems tend to have lots of unsightly fingerprints which can reduce visibility and certainly not enhance the observation of the wine.  They also deliver warmth to the wine by handling bowl and that usually is not the intent.  Small wine glasses are best used for serving fortified wines and dessert wines only because many times the serving amounts tend to be smaller.  Sparkling wines are best served from tall narrow flute shaped glasses to show off their mousse.  White still wines are generally served in medium sized tulips since these wines are often served chilled and aeration is not as necessary.  Red wines are generally served on larger tulip shaped stemware to enhance both observation and aeration.  The advantage to selecting clear and higher quality stemware is primarily due to the enhancement of observation.  The thin glass also favors consistent observation and nice clean laser-cut rims also enhance observation and delivery of the wine to the palate.  The down side to using high quality, thin, laser-cut, stemware is that they are easier to chip, break, and in many cases are not dishwasher friendly.  So what do you do?  I would recommend trying lots of different stemware before investing.   Believe me, you will decide that all glassware is not created equal, and you will narrow-in on the stemware that suits you and what you drink best.  You can definitely find middle-of-the-road priced, thin-glass, laser cut, tulip shaped glassware at reasonable prices depending on how much you agree with me on cost benefit.  You will discover your favorites.  You might at least consider stocking  appropriate stemware for Sparkling wines, White wines, and Red wines.  Whatever you select, use them every day and don’t save for just special occasions as you will lose the benefit all together.  Every time you open a bottle of wine, you have created a special occasion.

Cheers!