How Wine Glass Shape Affects Wine

Adam Weiner — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:22:11 +0000

There’s much discussion whether the shape of a wine glass affects the flavors and aromas of the wine. It sure does. I’ve done a test with many of my employees, in which I have them taste the same wine out of two different glasses. One glass is always a cheapo, the type that are made of thick glass. The other is a nice crystal stem, meant for a specific grape varietal. 90% of the employees would prefer the wine in the higher quality glass. Of course, there might be a little bit of bias, as most are going to visually prefer the nice glass. But there’s more to it.

Cabernet Sauvignon glass

I first started becoming aware of wine glass shape from Riedel, a popular producer of Austrian crystal. They were the first to commercially release a line of stemware that had different shaped glasses for different grape varietals. The basic concept is this: some grapes are fuller bodied than others, and have more pronounced aromas (such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon). These grapes need a glass with a wider mouth, so the aromas can dissipate. This allows you to pick up subtle nuances in a wine.

For wines with a lighter nose, you need to capture the aromas. Stemware

Pinot Noir glass

for grapes like Pinot Noir have a thinner mouth, and a wider body. Riedel has also accounted for where they want the wine to hit your palate. The different curves of the stemware’s lip will place the wine in a specific spot in your mouth. Many beer glasses are also available for specific types of beers, made with the same concepts in mind.

Don’t believe me? Test it out for yourself.

Adam's Wine Guide » Riedel

How Wine Glass Shape Affects Wine