If you really love wine (and if you’re reading this chances are already fairly high that you do) then you’re probably the kind of person who would recoil in horror at a Champagne saucer.
You know as well as we do that wine tastes best when it’s drunk from the right sort of glass, because each piece of glassware has been created to emphasise a particular wine’s characteristics.
It’s not a deal-breaker – if you’ve just opened up a vibrant and fresh Sauvignon Blanc and only have a red wine glass to hand it won’t completely ruin your enjoyment of the wine. But it’s likely you’ll miss a lot of those gooseberry and elderflower aromas that make the style so distinctive.
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Likewise if you serve a big, oaky Cabernet Sauvignon or a smooth Merlot in a flute, you’re just not going to be able to get enough air in the glass to allow all those complex flavours to be drawn out.
So let us teach you a very quick lesson of what glass to use for which wine.
Red wine
As we’ve already suggested, red wines are best served in large glasses. That’s because you want a large surface area so the wine comes into contact with lots of oxygen.
Oxygen helps to develop the aromas and flavours in red wine, and unfortunately just opening the bottle a little while before you serve the wine just doesn’t cut it.
If you don’t have a big glass there is a shortcut, as the video below will show you!
White and rosé wine
White and rosé wines can be served in the same glass – though we’d advise against putting them in at the same time!
Ideally they need to be in a medium-sized glass with a slight tulip shape so the fresh, fruit characteristics are drawn up towards the top of the glass.
Sparkling wine
Champagne glasses come in many shapes and sizes but while saucers may evoke a lot more glamour than a flute, they cause sparkling wines to lose their fizz very quickly.
In general a flute is a great option for Champagne, English Sparkling Wine, Cava and Prosecco as the long, thin shape of the glass allows the bubbles to travel through a larger volume before bursting at the top.
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Some people prefer a tulip-shaped glass as they concentrate more of the aromas at the top.
Both are a great option for your bubbly.
Fortified wine
Nothing delivers flavour quite like fortified wines, whether that’s Port, Sherry or Madeira.
To give those fruit characteristics a real boost these wines are best served in a small glass, although it should be big enough for lots of swirling and nosing!
This also helps to mask the strong alcohol on the palate and the nose.
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Will Laithwaites produce a UK/England wine selection this year?
Have just tried Kit’s Cody and have been really surprised (in a very good way)
Hi Graham, we have a great selection of UK wines, including one produced by us from vines we planted in Windsor Great Park and two made by Barbara and Henry Laithwaite. You can see our full range here: https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/wines/British-Wine/_/N-1z141sb I hope that helps. Thanks, Jennie