The Simple Way To Make Any Bottle Of Wine Taste Better
There's an easy way to improve your wine-drinking experience, and it doesn't involve booking a flight to Napa Valley or learning everything there is to know about soil composition. You can make your wine taste better just by picking the right glass. The shape of the glass can change the intensity of the wine's aroma, can affect which parts of your tongue the wine hits first, and can influence how much oxygen the wine is exposed to.
According to Chemistry World, researchers at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University discovered that the shape of a wine glass can determine which flavors in the wine we experience most (via Scientific American). In traditional wine glasses, they found alcohol was concentrated more around the rim than at the center of the glass. In martini glasses and straight glasses, on the other hand, the alcohol concentration was more even. The traditional shape leads to a better wine experience: "This ring phenomenon allows us to enjoy the wine aroma without interference of gaseous ethanol," explained researcher Kohji Mitsubayashi.
So which glass is right for your wine?
Experts suggest you should own two main types of wine glasses: an all-purpose glass and a Burgundy glass (via Real Simple). For red wines that you can't see through, a glass with a large bowl is good, as it helps dissipate the tannins that can make red wine taste bitter. For reds that you can see through, you'll want the Burgundy glass, also large but with a tapered rim to help you experience the wine's delicate scents. For white wines, on the other hand, glass shape isn't as important, because you don't have to worry about the tannins.
For champagne, the experts actually recommend a champagne wine glass rather than a flute — you'll get to experience more of the champagne smell (via Esquire). And the shape will help with the creation of bubbles — which are kind of the whole point.
So, if you have a favorite, go-to wine that you drink all the time, be sure to sip it in the best glass shape for that wine — it could take your wine-drinking experience from good to amazing.