Choosing Champagne Glasses

Back in days of old, wine was drunk from goblets - wooden, metal, golden, whatever.
Nowadays as our vocabulary tells us, a GLASS of wine is the vessel of choice.

There are many wine glass options available, long stemmed, short necked, wide rimmed and not. So how do you choose the right glass? Does it really depend on the wine?

Wine is about enjoying the grape and its contrast in the flavour of the food it is accompanying. There are various reasons behind wine glass shapes and why they have been designed in that way, but ultimately if you are going to enjoy grape juice, then you need a glass which you like and which is comfortable to hold. If you don't like your wine glass, then you are not going to enjoy the wine as much as you would if you were more at home with your glass.

Champagne / Cava

Sparkling wines are served up in smaller sized glasses. The long stems are for holding the glass by so as to allow the wine to stay cool for longer. The smaller glass drinking is so that your bubbly does not lose its sparkle or chill. The bottle can stay chilled and so you can top up your glass, allowing your drink to remain in a perfectly chilled, sparkling condition until the wine gets drunk. The top of the glass is narrow allowing the gas to remain in the drink and those bubbles to go straight to your head, rather than up into the sky.

Some would suggest that a long straw in the bottle is an equally appropriate way to keep the bubbles from escaping and that the bottle will stay perfectly chilled if it is drunk directly from the ice bucket, but it's just not as practical an option as having a champagne glass!

Plastic flutes are an option for parties as they don't break easily and are lightweight, but they don't allow for full appreciation of the delicate aroma, flavour or bubbles. For a wedding celebration, crystal is a wonderful choice, as the extra clear material adds more sparkle to your golden glass in comparison to using the same glass made from glass.

Other points to note about champagne glasses are:
The long stem keeps odours away from the glass. If you store the glasses with the rim downwards, smells can be absorbed into the material and subsequently affect the flavour of your champers. By storing the glasses upright so that dirt does not enter their storage container, this risk is reduced.

Washing detergents can also effect how a champagne bubbles as small amounts of detergent will remain on the actual glass unless rinsed out thoroughly with water afterwards. If you invest in more expensive champagne glasses or you find a unique set, washing them by hand is always the best option to ensure that there is less chance of breakage and losing glasses from your set.

Different types of champagne may also affect your choice of glass style. Vintage champagnes tend to have more of an aroma and so require a glass with a slightly wider base to allow that aroma to be enjoyed as you drink. Bubblier champagnes or rather ones which have more active bubbles respond well to a narrower well which allow the bubbles more action.
For those who don't like the bubbles, a coupe glass is the best choice, a wide bowl top on a shorter stem, but if you're looking to impress, they are not an especially elegant looking option.

According to historic sources, sparkling wine has been enjoyed in both England and France since the mid 1600's. The bubbles in the French champagne were originally considered to be a fault during the fermentation. Little did they know at that time it would be the bubbles that are what make the wine so special.