Red Wines
| Bordeaux - 20 Oz | Burgundy - 18 Oz | Chianti-Zinfandel - 14 Oz |
What a fabulous assortment
and variety of glasses are available for you to enjoy your fine wine
and
other adult beverages. (Do I have to issue the standard
protective
government required warning about pregnancy and heavy machinery?)
The
choices are marvelous and cover the field from jelly glasses to fine
crystal.
The recognized (or at least accepted) leader in the arena of fine stemware is the Riedel Crystal (REE-dill) company and they have well over 100 different types and styles of glasses from which to choose. Each style of glass is designed to deliver the maximum benefits of the wine’s flavor, bouquet, fruit, tannins, alcohol, body and even acidity. While drinking wine from a coffee cup may not prevent you from enjoying the wine, utilization of the proper glass will certainly enhance your pleasure.
I have listed, in the pictures below, a very narrow selection of styles which should accommodate most wines we consume in our daily routines. Please understand that the glasses listed may be used for similar varietals. The Bordeaux glass may be used for other full-bodied reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Tempranillo, The Burgundy glass is excellent for Gamay, Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo. The Chianti-Zinfandel glass will compliment Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Barolo. The Chardonnay glass may be used for most white wines and the White Burgundy glass is perfect for Montrachet and other fully oaked Chardonnay’s.
Wine is expensive. A gallon of milk costs less than $3 and will provide sixteen 8 oz. servings. About 20 cents each. A 2-liter bottle of soda will supply about eight 8 oz. servings at 20 cents each. A 12 oz. serving of beer costs about 60 cents each. Wine however, will provide five 5 oz. servings per bottle. The price of a simple table wine will range between $6 per bottle to about $20 per bottle. That makes the price of wine $1 to $4 per serving. That wine is OK to drink out of a jelly glass or a coffee cup. However, if you can afford and from time to time, do enjoy the finer, aged and more complex structured wines which even at the low, entry level end will cost you from $20 to $60, or over $10 per 5 oz. serving. At $2 or more per ounce, it is imperative that you utilize a container specifically designed to enhance your enjoyment of the wine.
Try this at home the next time you decant a fine wine. Pour a small amount into an ordinary drinking glass and a similar amount into your favorite wine glass. Pay very close attention while you sniff, slurp and swallow. The wine will taste different from each glass. The wine glass may not, but should, improve the nose and the flavor and thus your appreciation of the wine. Take this experiment to the next level and you will appreciate the specific design of the specific glass for the specific varietal. If this little experiment induces you to visit your local department store and purchase some additional fine stemware, then you are strolling down the path that leads to the early stages of wine snobbery.
Should you not have the space to store, or the desire to own, a large collection of various specific stemware, but would like to have a very nice glass with which to savor your wine, consider the 14 oz. Chianti glass. This glass will enhance your enjoyment of both red and white varietals and will not occupy your entire kitchen cupboard or break your budget. Notice the similarity between the glass design for red Chianti and white Chardonnay. Personally, I use a 22 oz. Bordeaux glass with about a 4 oz. serving. Please purchase crystal stemware and not ordinary glass. Crystal really does make the wine taste better. This is not my imagination. It really does.
Here are 11 glasses out of over 100 to consider.
Red Wines
| Bordeaux - 20 Oz | Burgundy - 18 Oz | Chianti-Zinfandel - 14 Oz |
White Wines
| Chardonnay - 14 Oz | White Burgundy - 14 Oz | Champagne Flute - 8 Oz |
Specialty
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Brandy - Cognac
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Cleaning: Immediately after
using your favorite wine glass, it should be washed, dried and
stored. If, like me, you don't particurlarily care to handle your
delicate
crystal glasses after consuming more than one serving, then thoroughly
rinse the wine residue out of the glass and clean it in the morning
when your
motor functions are more stable or at least more
predictable. The sensible rule for not drinking and driving
can also be applied to handling your fine crystal. In the
morning, while holding your glass by the bowl, not the stem, wash it in
warm water with a very mild hand or dish detergent using a soft cloth
or sponge and then warm rinse thoroughly. Dry immediately, right
now, instantly, like a shot, with a clean, lint free soft cloth and
your streak free, spot free, sparkling glass will be ready for your
next use.
Riedel says you can place the inverted glass on a towel and let it drip dry. No matter how soft your water is, you can't. Trust me.
Caution: Never, never wash
your fine crystal (or cut glass) in the dishwasher. The harsh
powder detergent will sand blast your glass and will ruin the polish of
the surface. Also, the heat of a dishwasher is too intense.
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I have all of the above and a few more. My favorite is the Waiters because it is quick and convenient. The most fun is the Rabbit. When I want to show off, I use a beautiful Reverse Helix type from Spain (see below). I broke my Pump and I'm not tough enough for the T-Handle. The Winged is not my favorite and I don't like the Twin Prong. I keep the Pocket in my car and travel kit.
Some Of My Corkscrews -
Top Left To Bottom Right
Torque - Twin Prong - Rabbit (fun) - Pocket - Reverse Helix (show-off)
Champagne - Waiters (practical) - Winged - Foil Remover
*
The Waiters corkscrew is also called "Laguoile" (La-YOLL) named after the town in
France. A true Laguoile must be manufactured in Laguoile, France.
A
word about the corks these corkscrews are designed to remove.
Some wineries have begun using synthetic "corks" in their wines under
the pretense of protecting the consumer from tainted or fungus
corks. Some California wineries even use a wax material instead
of
foil to protect the cork. Better for the consumer they say.
Don't be fooled. They do it to save money. If synthetic
"cork:" and wax compounds were more expensive than true cork and foil,
do you really believe they would use them to protect you? Your
more expensive corkscrews have the screw teflon coated. These
synthetic "corks" will strip that teflon coating in a very short
time. If you open a wine with a wax seal and/or synthetic "cork"
use a corkscrew with a steel or non-teflon coated screw. If you
open a wine with a wax seal and true cork, remove the wax seal with a
knife or other tool prior to using your teflon coated corkscrew.
I keep two waiters corkscrews handy. My teflon coated one
pictured above and one with a steel screw for California wines.
Incidentally,
the foil on the bottle was designed to capture any seepage and to
protect the cork from being
eaten by insects or mice while cellared at the winery or at home.
This was important and necessary 500 or a thousand years ago.
Today's modern wineries, homes and warehouses do not have those
problems. The foil is tradition. The wax seal is nothing
more than a consumer nuisance. What will they think of
next? Screw caps?
July 2, 2002
