According to wine experts, the type and shape of glass you choose can make a difference in the taste, balance, bouquet, and finish of the wine you drink. Glasses consist of the body, the base and the stem. The size of the body can affect the intensity of aromas emanating from poured wine and its shape can direct the fluid to different parts of your mouth and tongue. Some body shapes emphasize the fruitiness or tannins in a wine, while others are ideal for such things as preventing Champagne from going flat. Wine connoisseurs divide wine glasses into a variety of categories, including but not limited to: red wine glasses, white wine glasses, rose wine glasses, Champagne flutes and sweet wine glasses.
Types
Red wine glasses
Red wine glasses have shorter stems, larger bowls and a slight taper on the lip of the bowl. Shorter stems encourage people to hold the bodies rather than the stems; the small rise in temperature does not affect the aroma or flavor or red wines. Larger bowls expose the wine to more air, thus allowing the wine to breathe more thoroughly. Larger bowls also encourage the rich, complex aromas to be released.
Bordeaux glasses are taller, which allows the wine to flow to the back of the mouth. Burgundy glasses are larger and have slightly narrower bowls, which allows the wine to flow to the tip of the tongue, where the sweetness of the wine is most accentuated.
Types
White wine glasses
The taller stems of white wine glasses encourage people to hold the stem rather than the body. (Holding the body warms the wine, adversely affecting its flavor.) Smaller glasses also keep the wine cooler. Plus, white wines don't need air to release aromas like red wines do.
Young, crisp white wines benefit from an opening that is larger than the body of the glass, which encourages the wine to disperse at the tip of the tongue (sensitive to sweetness), and then the sides of the tongue, (sensitive to acidity).
Mature white wines with more "roundness" have more complex aromas and so benefit from straighter glasses that allow the wine to spread to the sides and back of the tongue, and then to the tip.
Types
Rose wine glasses
Rose wines are best imbibed from smaller bodied glasses that encourage aromas to develop more thoroughly, but typically follow the rules of white wines.
Types
Champagne glasses
Narrow and tall-bodied Champagne flutes are ideal for sparkling wines because they allow bubbles to build up, and they enhance fresh and delicate aromas.
Types
Sweet wine and dessert wine glasses
Sweet wines and dessert wines should be drunk from smaller glasses that limit the amount imbibed and disperse the wine to the back of the oral cavity, so the sweetness doesn't envelope the entire tongue. The wide body and narrow opening also help concentrate the aromas toward the nose.
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