Somm advice: Your wine tastes a thousand times better in this glass
We have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that from now on, you’ll never drink wine from the wrong glass again. Does this matter? Absolutely! Because in the right glass, your wine tastes a thousand times better. The bad news: you’ll have to tidy up your kitchen cupboard to make room. But we did say wine that tastes a thousand times better, so what are you waiting for? Get into that kitchen!
There’s a lid for every pot. The same goes for wine: pour it into the right glass and this will positively affect the aroma and taste of your wine. And because this is serious business, glassware specialist Riedel has even developed ‘grape varietal specific’ glassware. A separate glass for every grape. That’s for the real enthusiasts or people with a collecting obsession, but with the suggestions below, you’ll definitely be on the right track.
Sauvignon Blanc glass
An evergreen in your cupboard! In this tapered tulip shape, you can swirl your wine nicely to release the aromas, while the aromas released remain beautifully trapped. For fresh, aromatic white wines and not-too-powerful red wines with pronounced acidity.
Suitable for: Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, Zinfandel, Bardolino.
Bordeaux glass
The wine glass for Bordeaux lovers! This glass softens the wine’s rough edges and brings the fruit more to the fore. Bring it out for tannic red wines and fill the glass one-third full. That gives these flavourful, aromatic wines plenty of room to move.
Suitable for: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Amarone, Grenache, Syrah, Malbec.
Pinot Noir glass
Think big! Full-bodied, top-quality reds need space—not a dingy pub, but a ballroom where they can swirl, breathe and finally release their complex aromas.
Suitable for: red Burgundy, Barolo, Barbaresco, Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Cru, better Champagne.
Chardonnay glass
Not for beginners. This wide, shallow glass is reserved for the premier league of white wines: full, ripe wines that are delighted to finally stretch their legs.
Suitable for: top white Burgundies such as Corton-Charlemagne and Meursault, oak-aged Chardonnays.
Champagne glass
Party time! Who doesn’t love sparkling wine? This stylish glass was made for celebrating. It is slender and tall, so the bubbles are retained for as long as possible, after which they seem to ‘pearl’ their way into your mouth. True Champagne lovers, incidentally, prefer a larger glass, so they can nose the wine and capture the aromas. But for parties, this tulip-shaped glass is perfectly fine.
Suitable for: Cava, Sekt, Prosecco, Franciacorta.
Port glass
You’re still digesting the main course and haven’t decided whether to have dessert. In the meantime, you’re enjoying small sips of the intense, sweet flavour of your dessert wine or red port. In the smaller version of the Bordeaux glass, filled halfway, the alcohol aromas don’t overpower the fruit and sweet aromas.
Suitable for: Port, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala.
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