The right wine glass

For red and white wine: Don’t afraid to be generous when purchasing a new wine glass. And we don’t mean with your money, but in terms of size: your fine wine will release its aromas better in a larger wine glass than in a (too) small one. The glass should allow the wine enough air to «breathe», so only fill the glass a third of the way up at most!

The right shape is also crucial: the wine glass should have a wide bowl with thin walls that taper towards the rim. This will intensify the aromas, guiding them to your nose. After all, what you think you taste in a wine is actually what you are smelling.

The stem should be long enough to allow you to comfortably hold it with your index, middle finger and thumb. Holding the wine by the bowl will expose you as a philistine, because your body heat warms the wine and your fingers leave behind unsightly grease marks. So grasp by the stem to sip in style.

Opinions differ on which is the perfect glass for sparkling wine. For sparkling wine, our wine experts recommend a delicate glass that is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. After all, wine’s delicate aromas evaporate quite quickly. A glass that tapers towards the rim gives your nose an easier job of capturing the diverse aromatic qualities. If you don’t have a sparkling wine glass at hand, reach for a white wine glass. Its base is quite wide, more so than the rim, so it is a good alternative for sparkling wine.