Tips on Glasses
I’ve served good wine out of coffee cups, so don’t look to me for any lectures about how each wine deserves the perfect glass. Whatever you have on hand will do in a pinch. The only place I put my foot down is with Styrofoam cups: not only are they terrible for the environment, but their chemical smell and funny texture ruin what-ever’s put in them.
Beyond that, it’s a matter of getting as close to the ideal as you can, and having enough of them to go around. The ideal is a thin-lipped glass with pear-shaped bowl (to make it easier to swirl without spilling, and to capture aroma) and a stem (so that you don’t get fingerprints all over the bowl or warm the wine, if it’s been chilled). To get the most out of the wine, get at least a 10-ounce glass; that will leave enough room to swirl a few ounces of wine.
If you frequently drink sparkling wine, invest in some flutes. These tall, thin glasses are designed to channel the bubbles through the wine in a thin, steady stream—which is both beautiful and allows the bubbles to last longer.
White wine glass, red wine glass? Forget it. Traditionally, white wine is served in a smaller glass than red, but that tradition harks back to the advent of glassware, when the number of glasses on the table indicated status. White wine deserves as big a glass as red; the bigger the bowl, the bigger the swirl, and the more scent you can get out of it.
If you can spring for glasses, do so: Nothing beats glass in feel and neutrality of scent and taste. Buy more than you think you can possibly use. That way, when one breaks—which it will—you’ll have another just like it to replace it and not have to worry about that style being discontinued.
With wine and glasses in stock, you’re ready for anything.
A great place to look for glasses is restaurant supply houses. Every city has one; check the yellow pages or ask a local independent restaurant where they bought glassware. Supply houses will sell in bulk, which saves lots of money, and the glasses come in cardboard boxes, making them easy to store.
