What are the different types of Wine glasses?? Confused about when to use which one?? Do they really make a difference?? Read on to discover the answers to these commonly asked questions....

We can not stress enough the importance of using a good Wine glass (or stemware) for enjoying a bottle of your favourite Wine to its best. There are four basic steps to appreciating any Wine which we call Four Ss of Wine appreciation. Therse are Sight, Swirl, Smell and Sip. A good Wine glass aids in each and every step of Wine appreciation process.

Most of the wine glasses are tulip shaped with three essential parts. First, the foot or base; second, the stem and third, the bowl. There are a variety of Wine glasses available in the market and sometimes it might be a little tricky to select the one you need. To ease off such situations we have compiled a list of points one should look for before buying Wine glasses:

• Always buy a glass made of good material such as titanium crystal, lead crystal or blown glass. An inferior quality glass could spoil the flavours of the Wine. A thinner and smooth-lipped glass is more pleasing aesthetically. Glass should be plain and colorless which aids appreciating the Wine color.
• A long stem prevents the transfer of body heat from the hand to the Wine. Buy a glass with a sufficiently long stem.
• The size of the bowl is also an important factor. Go for a glass with a big enough bowl to allow swirling without spilling and still leaving some room for the nose to smell the Wine.
• Pay special attention to the glass shape. A good Wine glass always tapers in at the opening (rim). It allows aromas to concentrate at the top to be easily sensed by the nose.

Well, that was as far as basics go. Advanced Wine drinkers go a little further and use a glass with tall narrow bowl (called flute) for sparkling Wine, a glass with relatively larger bowl for red Wine and a glass with smaller bowl for white Wine. The type of glass is not just limited to the type of Wine, there are almost as many types of glasses available as the number of grape varieties (we are talking 100s). Having said that, it's not strictly necessary for one to buy a zillion glasses to relish different Wines. Having a couple of inexpensive glasses (large bowl for still and narrow tall bowl for sparkling) is sufficient. Then, it essentially depends on your budget. If you have some extra cash to spend, it's worth investing in the following:

Brandy Glass or Snifter: A Brandy snifter is a globe shaped glass with a much smaller opening than the bowl. To read more about Brandy and Brandy glasses please see the article on Brandy Wine.

Other types of Glasses: Cocktail Glass, Martini Glass, Shot Glass, Pint Glass, Mayrenne, Galilea Montijo