The basic differences of Wine Glasses

A red wine glass will often have a larger, rounder shape than a white wine glass. They will also have a larger opening designed to allow the wine drinker to sniff for the wine's aroma. Red wines are better known for a bolder, more complex flavour which should also be exposed to more air than a white wine. A red wine glass offers more surface area for the wine to be exposed to the air.

There are several varieties to the red wine glass. A taller glass with a smaller bowl is generally designed for Cabernets or Merlots and is commonly referred to as a Bordeaux glass. A shorter red wine glass with a larger bowl is designed for lighter, full bodied red wines and is commonly referred to as a burgundy glass.

You will find that white wine glasses have a more U shaped appearance and are generally smaller than red wine glasses. The shape of this type of wine glass is designed to maximize and maintain the coolness of white wines. Some wine connoisseurs like to drink from a wider rimmed white wine glass with younger white wines and from a taller white wine glass for bolder wines.

Champagne glasses are fairly standard in size and shape, although they differ in how tall they are. These glasses are designed for both sparkling wines and champagne and are ideal to maximize and maintain the beverage's bubbles, as they flow upwards through the glass. The slender, tall nature of the glass also works to retain the carbonation.

White wine glasses that have a smaller and shorter bowl are designed for dessert wines. The smaller size of these glasses is ideal for sweeter wines, designed for smaller serving sizes.

While there are many different variations of style and shape within each of these wine glass types, these descriptions will give you the basic understanding required when you go shopping. As your wine taste buds advance, you may decide that certain wine glasses enhance or diminish the taste, causing you to upgrade or change your stemware. But, as you are learning, most would agree that the basic shapes are sufficient to begin with.