Finding the Perfect Wine Glass

Good wine must be complimented by a good wine glass (or wine stemware as it is also known). Tasting wine and appreciating its characteristics are enhanced by a wine glass so here are a few Sussex Wine Company Do's and Don'ts to get you started in your pursuit for the perfect wine glass.

Do

• Look at What the Wine Glass is Made Of. Glass I hear you say! However the glass must be plain and clear. A huge part of enjoying wine is looking at its colours and 'texture' giving you insight into the grape varieties used or the wines age. Steer clear of coloured, tinted or patterned glasses. Keep the funky glassware for the mantel piece or cocktails.


• Say No to Cut Crystal. There are some wonderful glasses made of crystal. Scott Zweisel make a range of handblown Tritan Crystal, the hardest known to man (and yes we have proved the theory by dropping one or two). However those cut crystal glasses given to you by Aunty Mabel are just downright inappropriate for apprciating wine and all its characteristics. You will not see the colour properly and usually these glasses are too small to swirl the wine and release its aromas.


• Look at the Shape and Size of the Wine Glass. Classic wine glasses are an elegant tulip shape with a large bowl that allows you to swirl the wine to release the aromas. Wine glasses should also be slightly tapered at the top, to concentrate the wines aromas to your nose. Serve red wine in glasses with the largest bowls, white wine in glasses with slightly narrower bowls and sparkling wine in tall, slender tulip shaped glasses which present the bubbles beautifully and prolong the chill.


• Select Wine Glasses with Good Strong Stems. Stems certainly add to the aesthetic pleasure of a wine glass and they will keep those greasy finger marks off your glass after you start tucking into the cheese board. Most importantly you can get stuck into swirling the wine around the bowl to release the aromas.

Don't

• Choose End of the Line Glasses. OK, they are on offer but inevitably you will break one or you will have more friends, because word will get around of the fantastic wine you have been serving at your tasting parties. Your mix and match stemware will not be so fantastic, because no one stocks the same ones you bought in a sale.


• Buy Cut Crystal. Just making sure!


• Put them in the dishwasher. Unless the manufacturer specifies they are dishwasher proof, your glasses could break and get nasty scratches. We recommend you wash glasses in hot water and allow them to drip dry. Once they are dry you can polish them with tea towel to get them gleaming again.


• Use Washing Up Liquid. Especially the scented type because the residue can ruin the nose of the wine. Residual washing up liquid can also affect Sparkling Wine and Champagne by deadening the fizz. If your glasses have been washed up along with last nights saucepans by a well meaning relative, rinse them throughly with hot water, hold them up to the light to check they are clean and free of any residue soap, then dry as above.

WINE FACT! Toast masters glasses were made with thicker walls and bottom in order that they would hold less. This was due to the tradition of toast masters having to drain every glass yet still being able to remain standing untill all the toasts had been completed.