Page 23 - Leisure Living Magazine Autumn 2017

Wine Glasses Do
Make A Difference
By Donniella Winchell, Executive Director, Ohio Wine Producers Association
Most people who are even moderately ‘seri- ous’ about wine appreciation realize that wine should not be served in a beer stein. There are many reasons, why, over the centuries, wine glasses have a stem, a medium to large bowl and are mostly undecorated.
A slender, graceful stem on a wineglass not only contributes to the sense of quality, it is also functional: A wine which needs to be enjoyed cold will retain its ideal temperature longer into the evening. However, if the wine should be served closer to room temperature, the taster
Sight: The shape and type
of glass creates different colorations in the wine just poured. Looking down from the top through the wine into the glass, the various hues and color intensities may be dramatically different, depending on the shape and height of the bowl. With tall crystal glasses, the sides of the bowl almost disappear and all you see is the wine. With a thick, heavily faceted glass, the reflections off the facets will create shadows and variations in color beyond those which ac- tually exist in the liquid. When the sides of the
Understand why wine glasses have a stem and a medium to large bowl.
bowl are un-facet- ed, but the glass has very thick sides, the wine appears to be lighter in the middle and ringed by a dark circle.
Smell: Glasses with a wide base and narrow rim bowl allow the many aro- mas [young, fresh smells] and bouquet [more mature, com- plex smells] to accu- mulate and concen- trate as the wine is gently swirled. An open, wide rimmed glass allows the aro-
can simply slip his or her hand up around the bowl to warm it slightly. A bowl that is colored or has excessive decoration would detract from the wine to be enjoyed. A bulky glass with a thick bead would not provide as enjoyable an experience as a lovely crystal glass with a ‘cut’ rim. Some even believe that the shape of a glass can be important.
Since wine is truly a sensory experience, the correct kind and shape of glass contributes to the way a wine looks [the sense of sight], the aroma and bouquet [the sense of smell] and the finish [the sense of taste.]
mas to be dispersed, permits more aggressive swirling [and oxidation] to intensify the wine’s ‘nose’ for the taster. A large bowl allows for additional surface area, additional evapora- tion and more release of the complexities as it is swirled. When just a few ounces are poured into a large bowl, the taster can swirl with more intensity [thus releasing more aromatics] than if the glass was tall and slender.
Taste: A famous Austrian glass company, headed by George Riedel conducts hundreds of tastings a year around the world demonstrating
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