Wine Glasses

Are Two Styles Enough?

Does wine glass shape and size affect the enjoyment of a wine? I believe it does but, for practicality, I mostly limit my wine glass choice to two options: red or white.

Beyond that, I look for two attributes. First, a stemmed glass insulates my wine from my body temperature, which is helpful with all wines (see here). Second, I like a thin, not thick, wine glass lip. Thick-lipped glasses just feel wrong for wine, they are better for margaritas with salt.

Otherwise, I am not especially discriminating. Crystal is not a priority. However, I don't wash my wine glasses in the dishwasher. Placing them in the machine always feels clumsy, and they seem so vulnerable in there. What is more, over time machine washings eventually create a cloudy film on much glassware.

For white wines, sparkling wines, and rosé's, I recommend a 16-ounce glass like this. Why smaller glasses for whites? Whites are enjoyed at colder temperatures than reds and in a larger glass the wine warms up faster than one might usually drink it. As for rosés, with these wines a little warming is not always a bad thing and I find it more controlable in a smaller vessel.

And for reds, I recommend a 19-ounce glass like this. This size works well for light-bodied reds, such as Beaujolais (a type of wine I especially appreciate), as well as medium-bodied wines, such as Sangioveses and Tempranillos.

If you enjoy drinking bold reds, I recommend a 25-ounce glass like this.

Truth be told, although we do not use them often, chez nous we do have flutes, chablis glasses, and big red glasses for big red wines. The latter are fun to bring out when we enjoy bold Bordeaux-style reds, but that is infrequent.