Finding the Perfect Glass for Every Red Wine
Choosing the right red wine glass can be tricky: With so many different types of red wine glasses available, deciding on which one is right for you is often overwhelming. Let's take a look at what makes one red wine glass different from another, and how to buy them with confidence.
Do wine glasses really make a difference?
Absolutely! Choosing the right wine glass can enhance the most desirable characteristics of a certain type of wine, making each sip more pleasurable and complex. Yet, with so many to choose from, it's easy to find the best red wine glass to suit your needs and tastes.
Which wine glass is for red wine?
And what is the difference between red and white wine glasses? Whether for red wine or white wine, all wine glasses should have a narrower lip than the widest part of the bowl. This allows the glass to capture more aroma, intensify flavors, and prevent sloshing out of the glass when the wine itself is swirled. Red wine glassware tends to be larger than white wine glassware to allow for greater aeration, which results in the wine opening up more and expressing itself more thoroughly. None of this changes with either a stemless red wine glass or one with a stem. Just be careful: Stemless red wine glasses, if you hold them for too long, will cause the wine inside to heat up too much, making the fruit flavors seems overripe or stewed, and amplifying the sensation of alcohol.
Are there different wine glasses for different styles of red wine?
Yes! In fact, there often seems to be a specific style of red wine glass for virtually every grape variety and region of wine production. Not only can you buy a Cabernet glass, a Pinot Noir glass, and more, but you also can find red wine glasses for Napa Cabernet, Oregon Pinot Noir, and more. And while each of these possesses a different red wine glass shape, they all tend to be larger than their white wine counterparts. There are exceptions, of course, but they're rare.
What are the popular brands of red wine glasses?
There are many excellent red wine glass manufacturers, but some of the most popular are Riedel red wine glasses, Luminarc, Schott Zwiesel, and Luigi Bormioli, among others. Riedel is often credited with popularizing the concept of using a different type of red wine glass for each different type of red wine.
Are stemless wine glasses for red or white?
Stemless wine glasses are made for both red wine and white wine. In general, however, since stemless wine glasses require you to hold the bowl of the glass, it's best not to hold on to the glass between sips, and instead to rest it on a table. This will allow the temperature inside the glass, whether it's a red or white wine, to not be impacted by the heat of your hand.
How do you hold a red wine glass?
A red wine glass, like a white wine glass, should always be held by the stem, not the bowl. This is to prevent your hand's heat from changing the temperature of the wine inside the glasses. If red wine heats up too much, the fruit will start to taste stewed or cooked, and the alcohol will become overwhelmingly prominent, throwing off the balance of the wine.
Browse our full selection of red wine glasses online or check out our selection of highly-rated red wine glasses for great new red wine glasses to try this week!
Want to learn more about red wine glasses?
Visit our Guide to Red Wine Glasses to learn more about red wine glasses.
