How to Pick the Perfect Wineglass

If space is not an issue and you regularly drink a broad variety of wine styles, including new releases and older vintages, you can never have too many glasses. There is a wide range of varietal-specific glasses on the market, and if you are really going to use them, there is no reason to hold back. However, two or three different styles of glass should be sufficient for most households, as most can do double or even triple duty. Although he has five different glasses on hand at Brass, Townsend’s colleague Nic Garcia believes that two different glasses should be enough for home use: all-purpose glasses, also called AP, and Burgundy glasses. All-purpose glasses are similar to the standard white wine glass, with a medium-sized bowl and a rim that is slightly narrower than the widest part of the bowl, while Burgundy glasses offer a larger, rounded bowl that tapers more significantly towards the rim and may flare out slightly at the very top. “APs are so versatile and will get the job done for just about everything,” Garcia explains, while “a Burgundy glass is ideal for varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but can also help open up fuller-bodied wines in lieu of a decanter or Bordeaux glass.”

As for the third glass, it depends on what types of wine you drink at home. Nikki Ledbetter, wine director at 53 in midtown Manhattan, likes Riedel’s Extreme Cabernet, which is a large Bordeaux-style glass, because it can be used for Syrah, Merlot, and fuller-bodied Italian red wines like Aglianico. Emily Chen, sommelier at La Compagnie Wine Bar in New York’s Flatiron neighborhood, suggests a dessert-style vessel such as Ravenscroft Crystal Scotch snifter for fortified or dessert wines like Port, Sauternes, or Tokaji.

Larger wine glasses, regardless of shape, do more than just look impressive on the table. Providing airspace above the wine, they can serve the same purpose as a decanter by allowing the wine to open up and interact with oxygen before being sipped. They “allow the wine to breathe and enhance the more subtle or hidden aromatics in a wine,” explains Ledbetter. Chen takes that one step further, pointing out, “The advantage of a good amount of air space over the wine level in a glass is that the aromas of the wine have ample space and time to bloom and remain ‘locked’ in the glass.” Garcia brings us through the entire process, telling Robb Report, “More space in the glass allows the wine to breathe and progress as you drink, but also provides room for you to swirl, giving air to more of the liquid and bringing new aromatics and flavors to the surface. The top of the glass helps to collect and trap flavors and pushes them forward as you sip.”

While it would seem that almost all wines would benefit from being poured into a large glass, shorter, smaller glasses have their place as well. “Shorter, narrow bowls will enhance the structure and firmness of any wine,” Townsend says. Chen explains that with a shorter, narrow bowl, any fault in the wine that affects its bouquet, such as too much sulfur, slight oxidation, or a small amount of Brettanomyces, can “blow off” quickly. In addition, the instant contact with air that a small glass affords heightens the aromatic experience. “This can be helpful with Champagne, volcanic wines from Spanish and Portuguese islands, and alpine Italian wines,” Chen tells Robb Report. Garcia prefers a short, narrow bowl, such as a white wine glass, Chardonnay glass, or all-purpose glass, for “crisp, fresh, lighter white wines that are best enjoyed cold, such as Riesling or Pinot Grigio.” He points out that the smaller pour in a compact glass means the wine will remain cold as you enjoy it, as opposed to a larger glass in which the wine may warm to room temperature long before you need a refill. Garcia also likes a smaller glass for focusing the high acid and sugar content of sweet wines like Sauternes and fortified wines such as Port and Sherry, which are generally enjoyed in smaller portions.

If you have had a glass of Champagne or sparkling wine anywhere outside of a banquet hall recently, you may have noticed that almost no one uses narrow Champagne flutes anymore. Townsend tells Robb Report that although flutes “maintain greater bubble expression” and that they are available upon request at Brass, the restaurant uses an all-purpose glass, which best displays sparkling wine’s aromatics. At 53, Ledbetter uses a Schott Zwiesel Riesling White Glass for Champagne; she points out that it is larger than a flute but slightly narrower than an all-purpose glass, allowing fruity, savory, and floral characteristics to shine. The one exception is aged vintage Champagne: Chen uses a large Bordeaux stem to aid in rapid flavor development.

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Besides the fact that they look good, stemmed glasses have a practical aspect. By keeping your hand out of direct contact with the bowl of the glass, the stem prevents you from warming the wine up with body heat. With that in mind, stemless glasses make more sense for red wine than for white—which is usually served chilled—and in a sit-down dining rather than standing situation. We find that the best purpose for stemless glasses is outdoor dining, where there is no risk that they can be knocked over by wind. There are several brands of high-quality, thin stemless glasses that are great if you spend a lot of time eating on the terrace.

While for years the best handblown (and now often machine-made as well) crystal has come from Austrian producers such as Riedel and Zalto or German manufacturers like Spiegalau or Schott Zwiesel, offerings from recent upstart Glasvin are designed in New York City and made in China. These are the brands that are most widely found at Michelin-starred restaurants around the world and in the homes of serious wine drinkers. All are machine washable if your dishwasher has a china and crystal setting; one of the drawbacks of extremely fine crystal stems is that it is almost too easy to snap the stem off when washing and drying by hand.