There are a number of reasons, but they boil down basically to history, fashion and practicality. In fact, you do not need different glasses, one glass will do for all types.
In the worlds different wine growing regions, separated geographically, they used th eglasses made by their local glassmaker. In parts of Germany they used a glass with a clear bowl but a green stem because the color mad an attractive refection in the wine.
In Portugal & Spain they developed small glasses for their fortified Sherry & Port because they were drunk in small pours.
White wine was generally served in smaller glasses than red — red needed more rom to be swirled around to release its richer aromas.
Nowadays it is accepted that the ideal glasses are smaller at the opening than lower down, to concentrate the smell ofthe wine. The glass should be big enough to take a goodmeasure, but the glass shouldn't be filled more than half to allow room to swirl and to hold the aroma.
Champagne glasses should be long and thin, the so-called tulip shape, so you can see the bubbles shoot upwards, amd with a small surface area which makes bubbles last longer.
A modern glass manufacturer called Riedel has a theory that differnt shaped glasses are needed for different wines, and they have a large range of glasses for specific varieties. If you believed this, then a winelover would need a large number of glasses — which no doubt Riedel would welcome.
But in fact you need just one good wine glass, it should be clear glass — no colors or carvings, largish with a good shaped bowl taperingh upwards to a smaller opening.
I would also add a Champagne glass — because I love Champagne as an aperitif.
The only other glass that a true wine lover would want is an ISO tasting glass. This is a standard glass used for wine tasting. Its shape is exactly what I describe above, but it is fairly small to take a small tasting sized pour.
2 Responses to “why are there different wine glasses for different types of wines?”
There are a number of reasons, but they boil down basically to history, fashion and practicality. In fact, you do not need different glasses, one glass will do for all types.
In the worlds different wine growing regions, separated geographically, they used th eglasses made by their local glassmaker. In parts of Germany they used a glass with a clear bowl but a green stem because the color mad an attractive refection in the wine.
In Portugal & Spain they developed small glasses for their fortified Sherry & Port because they were drunk in small pours.
White wine was generally served in smaller glasses than red — red needed more rom to be swirled around to release its richer aromas.
Nowadays it is accepted that the ideal glasses are smaller at the opening than lower down, to concentrate the smell ofthe wine. The glass should be big enough to take a goodmeasure, but the glass shouldn't be filled more than half to allow room to swirl and to hold the aroma.
Champagne glasses should be long and thin, the so-called tulip shape, so you can see the bubbles shoot upwards, amd with a small surface area which makes bubbles last longer.
A modern glass manufacturer called Riedel has a theory that differnt shaped glasses are needed for different wines, and they have a large range of glasses for specific varieties. If you believed this, then a winelover would need a large number of glasses — which no doubt Riedel would welcome.
But in fact you need just one good wine glass, it should be clear glass — no colors or carvings, largish with a good shaped bowl taperingh upwards to a smaller opening.
I would also add a Champagne glass — because I love Champagne as an aperitif.
The only other glass that a true wine lover would want is an ISO tasting glass. This is a standard glass used for wine tasting. Its shape is exactly what I describe above, but it is fairly small to take a small tasting sized pour.
References :
By Pontac on Nov 14, 2008
What are the Different Types of Wine Glasses?
… are the Different Types of Wine Glasses? Each type of wine glass … It's recommended that wine glasses be composed of … such as dessert wines, require smaller glasses that dispense the
References :
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-wine-glasses.htm
By b50115 on Nov 14, 2008