Why Should You Drink Your Wine Out Of A Wine Glass?

We’ve come a long way since the days of drinking jungle juice out of red solo cups during our college years. From better stemware and nicer-qualities of wine and beer, we’ve matured and enjoy the perks of adulthood and appreciation for finer things now that we’re grown.

Perhaps you’re wondering why some people are such sticklers about wine glasses… Does it really matter if you prefer wine out of a plastic cup? If the wine is inexpensive and you’re just looking to drink it for ‘therapeutic’ benefits, then a Solo cup is fine; However, if you’re trying to immerse yourself in a good glass of wine, appreciating it for all the right reasons, you may want a proper glass.

While it’s certainly, still an easy fix to throw out some plastic cups at a party (the cleanup is a breeze), it’s not exactly the best way to serve a nice bottle of wine to your guests. It’s been proven, time and time again, that specific wines belong to certain glass shapes, making them taste their best. Bring out all of the flavors and scents of each, individual wine, the way they were meant to taste with a little help from this guide on 'why glasses are better than plastic cups' and 'which wine glasses to pair with which wines'.



So, why should you drink your wine out of an actual wine glass??
Here are some of the benefits of (and reasons for) a specific wine glass:

**Releasing aromas.
Enjoying wine is all about aromas. It’s the same joy as smelling bacon frying or sniffing a hot cup of Chai tea. With wine, the aromas are released as the alcohol volatilizes from the surface of the wine. Having an increased surface area is a benefit to optimize releasing aromas while drinking. There have been studies to show how swirling wine increases surface area.

**Collecting aromas.
It’s a surprise that not more coffee and tea cups have ‘aroma collectors’, because they’d benefit from the same effect that the bowl of a wine glass offers to wine. Depending on the style of wine, you may want a large aroma collector or a smaller one. There are no set rules for this logic, however we’ve seen that white wines typically have smaller aroma collectors and bowls to maintain their temperature whereas red wines typically have larger bowls to showcase their aromas.

**Thin lips.
There are differing opinions on the lip of a glass, however the general consensus is that the thinner the lip of the glass, the less ‘in the way’ the glass is to the drinking experience. We’ve seen this in all types of glasses, from water to whiskey.
You should be able to throw (maybe swirling can do it) the wine around in the glass in order to unlock all the aromas. A wine glass is normally more narrow at the top for two reasons:
1. So the wine doesn’t end up on the floor when swirling
2. It helps collect the unlocked aromas and makes it easier for us to smell them

**Scientists show glass geometry controls where and how vapor rises from wine, influencing taste
We know this because, according to a 2015 report in Chemistry World (article, listed below), Japanese researchers mapped this concentration distribution of alcohol leaving a glass and found that both temperature and shape impacted this invisible flow.
The intensity of wine aromas also strongly correlates with the ratio between the diameter of the glass cup (the widest part of a glass) to the diameter of the opening.
Read the article about the research done and proven results:
https://www....ffect-flavor/

**Different glass shapes and temperatures can bring out completely different bouquets and finishes from the same wine.
Keep in mind, as a general rule of thumb, smaller and tighter wine classes are best for white wine and the larger, more bulbous glasses are meant for reds. Tall and thin glasses (think: champagne glasses) are best for sparkling wines as the tight and narrow glass shape, helps to keep the bubbles in!

**While there’s really no need to stray from the concept of ‘red glasses’ and ‘white glasses’, there are still a a few, additional designs that can take the taste of your wines, even further.
This is about as specific as it gets, when it comes to red vs white and the various types of glasses for each.
Which wines to serve in which glasses: (*photos, included):
https://wine...r-wine-glass/

*We understand that it makes the most sense, in some cases, to pass out Solo cups at a large event. No one wants to wash dozens of glasses at the end of the night or risk their fragile wine glasses being broken as a large crowd moves from place to place. So while it’s completely acceptable to serve your wine in plastic in certain scenarios, it’s not a top pick for you and a smaller group, when enjoying your wine.
Here are a few, basic reason why plastic is not the best for serving wine:
1. Plastic is porous and will leach chemicals.
2. It interferes with the aroma and the flavor of wine so much that it makes the wine taste blander, more vinegary and tarter than it really is.
3. Even cheaper wine is more than one-dimensional, made up a serval components that make it unique in taste and scent. You can’t properly appreciate the specific wine you selected for it’s full flavor, when served in plastic.


We hope to see you soon for a painting and wine class, whether you’re coming in to try your hand at a new creative experience, or you just REALLY love wine! There’s no better combination that wine and painting! They go together, perfectly!
See you soon at Pinot's Palette, Naperville!

Share    View our class schedule HERE!   |   Buy a Gift Certificate!