The Specific Purpose of Each Part of Wine Glass

Wine lover or not, many have asked the same question over and over again. Why does glass shape matters with wine? Certainly, the shape of a wine glass is a critical factor and regardless of what type of wine glass cleaner you use, it still can’t beat the fact that each of the four features of the glass has its important role to serve.

What’s with the base?

Obviously, the main purpose of the base is to prevent the glass from tipping over. While it’s no use crying over spilled milk, a spilled wine is a different story.

Why stem either go short or tall, or nothing at all?

What makes the use of wine glass cleaner quite a challenge is because of the delicateness of the stem. It actually serves two different functions. First is to prevent the hand of the drinker from touching the bowl as the body temperature can affect the purpose of the wine. More so if the drink has to remain cold or just cool, not warm from the touch. Second is to keep the hand of the drinker away from the rim which may also affect the aroma of the wine. In fact, some even prefer to hold the wine glass as far to the base for those two reasons.

The larger the bowl, the better?

The reason why wine is not poured more than one-third of the glass is to have enough room for it to swirl. Wine glass with a wider bowl than rim allows the drinker to swirl the drink with enough space for the volatile aroma compounds to be sniffed. The more swirling, the more concentrated the scent becomes, making it more enjoyable to take a sip of the wine glass. Plus, the fact that it is easier for the wine glass cleaner to reach the inside of the glassware.

The thinner the rim, the tastier?

Well, the rim does not actually affect the taste of the wine, only the perception of the drinker. This is because the rim is where the drinker’s mouth touches the wine and tastes it. With a thinner rim, the transition of the wine from the glass into the taster’s mouth is more seamless. This way, the taster will not focus on the feel of the glass but can concentrate more on the taste of the wine.