A Valentine’s Cake to Remember

When enjoying a glass of wine, reaching for the first glass you see in the kitchen cabinet is not the way to go. Unlike other drinks, there is a right and a wrong way to enjoy your wine, and it starts with choosing the right type of glass.

Red Wine

When you're enjoying a glass of red wine, it's served best in a glass with a larger bowl. This is done for several reasons. First, a larger opening can actually make the taste of the wine smoother. This is especially true when it comes to a spicy, bitter, or other bold red wines.

Larger-bowled glasses also let more of the ethanol naturally found in the wine evaporate, which can also influence the taste of the wine, making it smoother, and lead to a more pleasant aroma. Especially if you're a person new to red wine, this type of glass can help you ease into their intense flavors.

White Wine

For white wines, you want the opposite of a red wine glass – a smaller bowl. Compared to red wines, white wines are most often served chilled. The larger the bowl, the harder it is to maintain the chilled temperature, and the smaller bowl allows for this.

A smaller bowl is also preferred with white wine because it helps contain the floral aroma of the wine, which can help improve the taste of the wine as you breathe these flavors in. However, it's important to mention that these rules only really apply to light-bodied wines. A full-bodied white wine can be enjoyed in a large glass like the ones you use for red wine.

Specialty Wine

If you're enjoying a specialty wine, such as a dessert or sparkling wine, there are also recommendations. For dessert wines, glasses with a narrow mouth are ideal. Dessert wines generally have higher alcohol levels compared to other traditional blends. The smaller opening helps minimize evaporation and preserve their flavor.

In terms of sparkling wines, you want a long, narrow bowl, as opposed to a wider bowl. The reason for this is to leave ample space for the fizz that accompanies these beverages. If you choose to use a wider-mouthed glass, you will need to limit how much wine you pour into the glass.

While drinking your wine out of the wrong type of glass isn't exactly a cardinal sin, choosing the appropriate glass can enhance the aroma and make for a more enjoyable taste, overall. When adding to your wine collection, make sure you are also expanding your wine selection. For information on types of wine, check out websites like https://www.jjbuckley.com/.