The Difference Between White and Red Wine Glasses
Many people are completely unaware that there are significant design differences between glasses intended for Red Wines and glasses intended for White Wines. After having just glugged a bottle and a half of a particularly tasty Bordeaux I thought I’d explain why the glass chosen for your wine is important:
White wine glasses tend to have smaller bowls than red wine glasses. This is because white wine tends to be served chilled, whereas red is best served closer to room temperature. The smaller size of the white wine glass bowl will reduce the heating effect that the drinkers hand has upon the wine, helping it to stay cooler for longer.
Red wine glasses have characteristically wider bowls intended to encourage the wine to breath. Bordeaux glasses tend to be tall with a wide bowl that is excellent for full bodied wines like Merlot or Cabernet. Burgundy glasses will have a larger bowl. This doesn’t mean that they are intended to hold more wine (although they are particularly good for this). The larger bowl is intended to hold the aromas that are released by the wine into the glass. A large part of the taste and enjoyment of wine is actually experienced by olfaction. In other words, the smell gets up your nose.
So now you know a little about why there are glasses which are specifically intended for white wines and glasses which are specifically designed and suited for reds. Time to crack open a bottle or three and put the theory to the test…
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And I can’t describe what kind of comments I got from evrybody. Everyone was full of praise for these glasses! They truly enhanced our senses and we really enjoyed the wine to the fullest! “
Link | June 30th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Andrew for Trademark Registration wrote,
Thanks for the great summary of wine glasses. I always knew there was a reason behind the different shapes, but now it makes much more sense.
I’ve never been a huge fan of reds, due to serving them at room temperature. I guess I just like cold drinks.
Link | July 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 am
Taylor from Wine Barrels wrote,
This is a great breakdown of the different wine glasses and their particular uses. I will sound like a wine pro at my next dinner party because of this post.
Link | November 14th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Shaya wrote,
-woo- I needed that!
My parents are huge red wine people, though their glasses are not very…nice? For Christmas they asked for ‘Red Wine Glasses.’ Little did I know that does not mean Wine Glasses, that are red.
This helps quite a bit!
Thank You!
Link | December 21st, 2008 at 9:15 pm
John from Wedding Photographer Essex wrote,
I’m so uncultured, I never knew about different glasses for different wines. I just discovered the ‘port sipper’ this Christmas, that really makes a difference to the taste… until you get half way down the bottle, sipping then goes out of the window!
Link | December 29th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
My Grape Vine wrote,
I don’t like drinking wine at a room temperature, but I do like red wine. Slightly chilled, is how I would describe the best red wine temperature and I’m not the only one that thinks that. All of my friends like chilled red wine.
Shaya, I just loved your comment.
Link | February 3rd, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Amy from Resveratrol Supplement wrote,
I have always wondered about this wine glass phenomenon! Thank you for the explanation. I can’t wait to tell people and impress them with my sophistication. =)
Link | March 31st, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Nick wrote,
Ah great :/ This means I’ve been buying my Mother the wrong wine glasses as Christmas presents for years.
Well at least i know now.
Great post, thanks!
From an embarrassed gift giver
-Nick
Link | April 15th, 2009 at 12:20 am
minh wrote,
nice stuff, now I wont look like a jerk in front of my wife when having fine dining with her whole family.
Link | April 21st, 2009 at 3:02 am
steve from wine cooler reviews wrote,
And since we’re talking about the differences between red and white wine glasses it might be worth mentioning that different wines warrant different storage conditions. You can read about them this guide to choosing a wine cooler at http://www.WineCoolerReviews.com
Link | April 29th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Romar from st louis martial arts wrote,
Thank you very much for this very informative post. Honestly, I really don’t know the difference between a white wine glass and a red wine glass. Now I know the difference. Surely, this time I know what to buy the next time I buy a wine glass. Thanks again.
Link | June 6th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Michal from Stags in Krakow wrote,
Too bad, that to most people it doesn’t make a difference at all. Most of us don’t even know what’s the “proper” way of tasting wine.
I read a “tutorial” some time ago and as far as I remember it covered such steps:
1. Smelling the wine.
2. Tasting with lips closed.
3. Tasting with lips slightly opened.
4. Swallowing the wine.
Do I miss anything?
Cheers!
Link | June 18th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Nick from buy wine online wrote,
I personally enjoy the stemware from reidel! They are fantastic – and have stemware for all sorts of wine lovers.
Link | September 8th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Wine Afficianado wrote,
I just serve one style at parties. 12 oz. plastic. Have never had one complaint, lol.
Link | August 18th, 2010 at 12:51 am
eBook reviews wrote,
Red wine glass should be always bigger than the white ones. I love those large glasses.
Link | July 25th, 2011 at 3:18 pm