By Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach®
One of life’s greatest pleasures, especially for overworked moms, is relaxing at the end of the day with a great glass of wine.  We ponder the wine, its origins, its taste, but most of us rarely stop to think about the importance of the glass itself.  Your wine glass is more than just a place to pour your wine.  It can significantly affect the taste of your wine.  Investing in the correct type of wine glasses is one of the most important decisions a wine lover can make.  Here are the essential things to consider in the selection process.

What are the basic requirements?

At a very minimum, your wine glass should be tulip shaped with a bowl that tapers as you get to the top.  This helps keep the aromas in the glass and enhances your tasting enjoyment.  Try to find a glass that is at least 8-10 inches tall and made of clear glass with no etching or designs.  Colored or decorative glasses affect the full enjoyment of the wine's true color.  The bowl should be broad enough to allow for adequate swirling, which kicks up the wine's aromas and vaporizes the alcohol making it accessible for smelling.  This is important since smelling the wine is 80% of the tasting process.

I recommend purchasing real crystal - more for functional reasons than beauty.  Crystal has a rough surface that helps agitate the wine when swirled, allowing us to better smell and enjoy the wine (it also increases the production of bubbles in Champagne).  The thinner the glass, especially the rim, the better the wine will taste.  Less glass, more wine—it just makes sense!  

Why have different size glasses?

The smaller glasses used for white wines allow their more delicate aromas to concentrate in the glass.  This concentration ensures we can smell the wines better, and as mentioned previously, smelling is the workhorse of tasting.  Conversely, larger glasses with broader bowls provide red wine greater surface area for swirling allowing the oxygen to unlock their fabulous flavors.  The bubbles found in champagne and sparkling wines benefit from the long slender flute shape wine glasses.

In the 1960s Professor Claus Riedel first introduced his varietal-specific glasses after he noticed that the aromas, flavors and balance of different varietals were enhanced by the shape of the wine glass.  There are differences in the taste but they are subtle.  If you don't have the budget (or cabinet space) for a multitude of different glasses, no need to worry—just be sure what you buy is good quality.

What's Up With Stemless Glasses?

One of the new trends in wine glasses are the stemless glasses.  They have the same shape as regular wine glasses but without the stem.  In addition to looking great, these stemless glasses can save you money.  Wine glasses often break at the stem given their delicate nature.  Stemless glasses will likely last longer.  Also, unlike other crystal wine glasses that should be hand washed, these glasses can be put in the dishwasher (good news in my house!).  There are a few downsides.  As you hold the glass your body heat will warm the wine (more critical if it’s white wine).  Stemless glasses also make it more difficult to fully appreciate the beautiful colors of the wine.  I think they are great glasses for casual parties, boating or when no one is taking wine or anything else for that matter too seriously!

How Should I Wash My Glasses?

Use very hot water!  Unless you like the bouquet of Palmolive, try not to use, or if you must use detergent . . . use it very sparingly.  Using too much soap will leave a residue that may affect the taste of the wine.  After washing, place the glasses upside down on a linen towel to dry.  For spotless glasses that even Martha Stewart would be impressed with, try this trick: hold glasses over a steaming pot of water and then polish with your best linen tea towels.

As The Wine Coach®, Laurie Forster combines her extensive knowledge of wine with her experience as a life coach to create unique events for corporate, women’s and private groups.  Laurie began her wine career in Manhattan where she studied with the American Sommelier Association to obtain her certificate in Viticulture and Vinification.  Her goal is to help people de-mystify wine one glass at a time!  For more information or free weekly wine tips go to www.thewinecoach.com