WINE SERVICE–Wine Glass Ware

  • SUB-TOPICS Of WINE GLASS WARE
    1. What is Wine Glass Ware?
    2. Wine Glass Ware Styles of the World
    3. Wine Glass Ware Producers of the World

1) WHAT Is WINE GLASS WARE?

  • The Perfect Wine Glass For the Right Wine Should Bring Out All the Qualities a Wine Has to Offer: Color, Aroma, and Flavor.  Which Glass For Which Wine? There’s Numerous Qualities a Perfect Wine Glass Should Have or Shouldn’t Have.  Generally Wine is Almost Always Served In Some Sort of Specialized Wine Glass That Features a Elongated Stem and a Deep Bowl.
    • Colorless, Transparent Glass is a Must For Evaluating a Wine’s Clarity, Color and Viscosity.
    • As Thin as Possible, Thick-Walled Glass Are Not as Good.
    • The Stem of the Glass Should Be Long Enough to Keep the Hand From Touching the Bowl.
    • Glass With a Tulip Shaped Bowl Help Concentrate the Wines Aroma by Not Letting Them Escape Over Sides.
    • Glass is Now Made of a Crystal Blended With Minerals For Strength.
    • Wine Glasses Are Not at All Practical, They Are Delicate and Easily Knocked Over.  They Are Not Designed to Be Filled to Their Rim or Capacity.
    • **Refer to “CONTAINERS/ Glass” For Additional Information.
  • History- Recently There’s Been a Nostalgic Push to Drink Wine and Spirits From Glass and Stemware With Historical Cultural Significance. There’s Usually a Back-Story Surrounding the Size, Shape and Country of Origen of the Stemware and How it Became Prevalent In the Wine World.
    •  The Wine Glass is One of a Few Objects Produced Today and 3,000 Years Ago.
    • According to Archaeological Evidence Glass Was First Produced In Eastern Mesopotamia Around 3,500 BC., Since Then it Has Been Perfected by the Egyptians, Romans and Persians.
    • Over the Past 100 Years the Wine Glass Has Changed In Substance, Form, and Functionality.
    • Recently Over the Past 25 Years There Has Been a Wine Glass Revolution, With Shapes to Match Every Varietal-Specific Wine.

“For Centuries Specialized Different Glasses Have Been Used to Highlight the Way Aromas Form and Accumulate.”

HOW ARE WINE GLASSES PRODUCED

FORMERS, FLUXES And STABILIZERS- Each Work to Affect the Mechanical, Chemical, Optical and Thermal Properties of the Glass That’s Produced.

  • FORMER- Make Up the Biggest Percentage of the Finished Glass.
    • White Silica(Silicon Dioxide), Found In Nature as Quartz and the the Major Constituent of Sand.
  • FLUXES- Needed to Lower the the High Temperature at Which Silica Melts(2,000°)
    • Soda(Sodium Carbonate), Potash(Potassium Carbonate)
  • STABILIZERS- Used to Ensure the Glass is Strong and Water-Resistant:
    • Lime(Calcium Oxide)
  • The Mixture is Put Through a Washing, Fining, and Filtering Process, Then Ready to Be Melted.

COMPONENTS Of The WINE GLASS

  • BASE- Flat Round Piece at Bottom of Stem.
    • ADVANTAGES– Used to Keep Wine Glass Upright
  • STEM- Skinny Piece That Attached Base to Bowl. Stems Are Handels Designed ot Keep Your Fingers and Your Fingerprints Off the Bowl. Some Glasses Are Stemless.
    • ADVANTAGES– Allows a Place to Hold Glass Without Warming Glass or Putting Finger Prints On Bowl.
  • BOWL- Where Wine is Poured and the Component With the Most Variation, Different Sizes and Shapes That Vary by Style and Country. Bowl Should Be Large Enough to Hold 5/6 Onces of Wine While Allowing Enough Space to Swirl Wine Without Spilling.
    • ADVANTAGES– Variations Allow More or Less Air Into the Wine to Further Develop the Flavors.
  • RIM– Area Around Top of  Bowl, Some Rims Are Rolled to Be More Sturdy Others Feature Fragile Cut Rims That Are Very Sheer.
    • ADVANTAGES– Enhance Evaluation and Enjoyment of Wine Consumption.
  • WINE & PHILOSOPHY? “Should You Rinse Your Wine Glass With Water Between Tastings?”
    • “Unless Your Going From Reds to Whites its Not Necessary. Water In Will Slightly Retard the Aroma and Flavors of a Wine.”
  • DEMYSTIFYING PROCEDURE~  ~Always Use the Stem to Hold Your Wine Glass.~
    • “Hold the Wine Glass by the Stem or at the Base. (Never Touch Glass Bulb.) Swirl the Wine Around the Glass. (Either In the Air or On a Flat Surface). This Coats the Inside of the Glass With a Layer of Wine Which Increases the Surface and Evaporation Rate and Amplifies the Aromas. Hold the Glass In the Light So You Can See Through it, You Are Looking For Clarity and Color.”

Wine Evaluation Expectations

  • Glassware- Glass Should Be Clean, Thin and With Stem.
  • Taster- Should Be Good Physical and Mental Shape, Their Palate Should Be Fresh.
  • Setting- Should Be Quiet, Well Lit, Well Ventilated, Preferentially With a White Tasting Surface.
  • Wine Condition- The Wine Should Be the Correct Temperature, and Opened/ Aerated/ Decanted.
  • DEMYSTIFYING PROCEDURES~ ~Use Fresh Wine Glass Between Whites & Reds.~
    • “Hold Strong Convictions Regarding the Switching of Wine Glasses During a Wine Tasting When Going From White to Red Wine. The Commingling of Fresh Pinot Noir With a Glass In Which Chardonnay Had Just Been Enjoyed is Disappointing.”

BEST WAY TO CLEAN GLASS WARE- Always Clean Wine Glasses by Hand In Unscented Soapy Water. Glass/ Crystal Stemware is Porous and Easily Absorbs Fragrant Detergent. Dry With a Soft Towel and Polish to Remove Any Spots

  • WINE & PHILOSOPHY? “Does Drinking the Same Wine Out of Differently Shaped Glasses Effect the Taste, Perception or Enjoyment of that Wine?”
    • “I Believe Science Has Provided Evidence There’s a Quantifiable Effect When Drinking Wine From Different Shaped Wine Glasses. On the Nose the Subtleties Are Obvious, On the Palate It’s Less Obvious But Still Remarkable. The Most Tangible Reason is the Increased Surface Space, a Sort of Mini-Decanter. There’s Also an Increased Volume/ Ullage Inside Big Bulbed Glasses That Accumulates a Wines Aroma.”

2) WINE GLASS WARE STYLES Of The WORLD

“Wine Glasses Allow For the Collection of Scents So We Can Analyze and Summarize What We Smell.”

  • ALSACE- “France”,  Size-         ,  Shape– Tall Stem
  • BOCCALINO- “Switzerland”, Ceramic Mug Used to Drink Merlot In Ticino
  • BORDEAUX- “France”, Tall With Broad Bowl
  • BURGUNDY- “France”,  Size– 14 oz./ 7 in.,  Shape– Balloon Shaped, Wide Bowl
  • CABERNET SAUVIGNON- “France”, Size– 22 oz.
  • CHAMPAGNE/ FLUTE- “France”
    • Tall slender, Stemmed Use For Champagne. “Flaw of the Flute” The Reason a Flute Has a Single Bead of Bubbles Coming Up the Middle of the Glass is That the Bottom of Flute is Perfectly Flawed. For Bubble to From They Need Something to Latch Onto. Flutes Have a Tiny “Nick” at the Bottom of the Glass.
  • CHARDONNAY- “France”,  Size– 13.2 oz.
  • CORDIAL/LIQUEUR- Size-2 oz./ 4 in. High
  • COPITA- Nosing Glass Used in 1600’s & 1700’s.
    • Noising– Distillery Managers and Spirit Merchants Working On Docks Would “Nose” Their Shipments Prior to Acceptance. Tulip Shape Bowl Allows One to Swirl the Wine or Distillate Prior to Nosing and the Narrow Opening Facilitates the Retention of Aromas and Alcohol Vapors.
  • COUPE-
  • CRATER- Deep Wide Mouth Bowl Used for Mixing Wine, Usually Made of Pottery or Bronze, 12 Inch Diameter
  • FLUTE- “Franc”, Size– 7/8 oz., 8.5 in.  Shape– High, Tall Narrow, Traditionally Use For Champagne Consumption
  • HOCK- “Germany”, Old Term For German White Wine or Any Glass Used to Drink It.
  • MADEIRA- “Portugal”
  • OREGON BULB- “Oregon”,  Size– 27.8 oz.,  Shape– Wide Bowl
  • PARIS GOBLET-
  • PORRON- “Spain”
    • Glass Wine Container With Pointed Spout That Shoots a Stream of Wine Directly Into Mouth. Use of Porron Takes Skill and is Meant to Be Drank From a Steady Stream of Wine From a Distance With Flair.
  • PORT- “Portugal”, Size– 6.5 oz./  6 in. Hight, (Shaped Like Smaller Version of Red Wine Glass.)
  • SAUTERNES- “France”
  • COUPE/ SAUCER- “France”,  Size– 8.75 oz.,  Shape– Broad Shallow Bowl,  Sometimes Used For Champagne Consumption
  • SAUVIGNON BLANC-
  • SCHOONER-
  • SHERRY- “Spain”, Size– 6 oz./ 6 in. High
  • SNIFTER- “France”, Size–        , Shape– Brandy Glass With a Short Stem, Wide Base and Narrow Top
  • STANDARD-       -Shape-
  • THIMBLE GLASS-
  • TUMBLER-
  • TULIP-

STEM GLASS vs. STEM-LESS- Glasses Without Stems Heat Wine, Smudge Glass, and Allow for Your Hand to Be Smelled because of the Closer Proximity to Your Nose.

3) WINE GLASS WARE PRODUCERS Of The WORLD

  • BACCARAT     @France
  • BOTTEGA Del VINO    @Italy
  • DARTINGTON     @England
  • JAMESSE      @Viski
  • LEHMANN      @Reims, France
  • ORREFORS     @Sweden                        |
  • RIEDEL     @Kufstein, Austria
  • SCHOTT ZWIESEL    @Germany
    • NOTES: Crystal Mixed With Trace Amounts of Titanium.
  • SPIEGELAU     @Austria
  • STEKLARNA ROGASKA     @Slovenia
  • STOLZLE LAUSITZ    @Germany
    • NOTES: 100% Lead Free Crystal
  • WATERFORD     @Ireland
  • ZAFFARANO     @Italy
  • ZALTO     @Gmund, Austria
    • NOTES: Hand Blown

**Refer to “BIBLIOGRAPHY/ Sources” For Details On Scholarly Works Referenced.