True or False? The shape of the glass affects the taste of the wine.
TRUE!
It's not just in your head. The shape of the glass actually does affect the way the wine will taste. No, the glass doesn't actually change what's in the wine as much as it emphasizes different features. The bigger the bowl, the more wine molecules can paint the inside of the glass. When the wine begins to evaporate, we have more to assess. Taste is 85%-90% smell, which is why it's so important to sniff before you drink it down! That being said, drink out of whatever glass you think gets you the most out of your favorite wine. You don't need a different type of glass for every type of wine you'll ever taste. That would just be silly.
Fun exercise:
Boyer, my Geography of Wine teacher, recommended we try this. I encourage you to do the same.
What you need:
a shot glass
a short glass (maybe used for juice or other alcoholic beverages)
a tall, thin water glass
a regular wine glass
a wine glass with a huge flare (If you don't have this, try to find something in
your kitchen that resembles it, like a vase)
Grab a red wine like a Shiraz or Zinfandel (These guys tend to have a distinct
aroma)
Grab a white wine of your choice
Bread or plain crackers to neutralize things in between
Pen and paper
Taste!
1. Chill the white wine in your fridge for 30 minutes or until it's chilled to
your liking.
2. Open your red, let it breathe while you taste the white.
3. Let's do this, pull out that white wine. Measure out a shot with the shot
glass and pour it into each of the above mentioned containers.
4. Taste! As you do so, write down your impression and see if it changes from
glass to glass. You may only notice a difference in a few, but
even a novice (like myself) will detect some subtle differences.
**Remember, the last Wine Library TV post showed us how to get the most out of tasting.
Step 1: "give it a swirl"
Step 2: "give it a serious sniff"
Step 3: "check out the legs"
Step 4: taste it
Step 5: "give it another sniff"
5. Try some bread or crackers in between to neutralize things a bit.
6. Repeat with the red.
Let me know what you all get from this when you try it!
If you'd rather watch Gary Vaynerchuck do it, check out Episode #111 - Wine glasses, how do they affect wine?
