Stemware Matters

A little investment goes a long, smelly way

By TYLER BALLIET

del.ico.us | digg it! | reddit!

print | email | 0 Comments

We've recently heard talk of precious overprivileged brats from Napa Valley who regularly dive into their father's wine cellar -- pulling out a magnum of $3,000 wine ('96 Harlan Estates, for those of you keeping track at home), tearing the foil off, pushing the cork in and swigging the thing while passing it around the room. Although we agree that chugging wine right out of the bottle generally makes you a badass, it doesn't do much for enjoyment of flavors, aromas and such. If you actually want to enjoy the wine you've spent hard-earned money on, we suggest drinking it out of some decent stemware.

Not all glassware is created equal. If you don't believe us, try an experiment. Pour some wine into whatever you have in your cupboard; a pint glass, a tumbler, a shot glass and a decent wine glass is what we had. Now really stick your nose into each glass, take a good, strong whiff and note any differences. Then take a sip of each one, carefully looking for a difference in taste. When we performed this test, we didn't like the wine in the tumbler but really enjoyed it in the wine glass.

Wine tastes different out of proper stemware because the glass tapers inward toward the top, which concentrates the aromas of the wine. The shape also helps with swirling wine in the glass, which, by adding oxygen, makes the wine more volatile and therefore, more pungent. It is also important for your stemware to be completely clear in order to check out the color of the wine and how it reacts in your glass.

For the minimalist, we suggest purchasing two styles of stemware. Start with a Bordeaux glass with a large bowl, which is perfect for big reds and full-bodied whites but is versatile enough for most styles of wine. Add a few Champagne flutes for all things bubbly, and you're set. The next step would be to include some Burgundy glasses, which have larger bowls and openings to allow the wine to develop more in the glass. These types of glasses are perfect for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and any medium- to full-bodied wine with more acidity.

Stemware can run as high as $90 a glass, so only buy glasses you can afford to break. This is key. No matter how classy you think your dinner party will be, there is always some drunken jackass who will break everything in sight before jumping off the balcony while wearing your cat as a shawl. (That's what happens at our staff parties, anyway.)

IKEA: The cheapest of the cheap -- six glasses for $5

Crate & Barrel: between $2 and $13 per glass

Brookline Liquor Mart: Riedel Crystal between $20 and $100 per glass

-

Join the editors and staff of The Second Glass for a free wine tasting party at The Savant Project [1625 Tremont St., Mission Hill, Boston. 617.566.5958. Tue. 1.29, 5:30-7pm. thesavantproject.com]

FOR MORE INFORMATION: THESECONDGLASS.COM