From my own experience, a great glass of wine can enhance your drinking experience better and the better the wine, the more satisfactory we feel holding, drinking that wine.

A wine glass is a type of glass that is used to drink and taste wine. Most wine glasses are stemware, that is they are goblets composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot.

The wine glass emerged out of medieval Venice. The modern-day glass as we know it probably emerged around 1400 in the city of Venice. People have been using glass to drink wine for a lot longer, even in the ancient world, but the design we think of – essentially a bowl, a stem and a base – is medieval.

Wine glasses are shaped differently because some wines require more of the aroma to be delivered to the person’s palate and nose. When more aroma is required, the person uses a glass with a wider bowl. Some wines, however, are better sipped from tall flute-like glasses.

RED WINE GLASSES
Glasses for red wine are characterized by their rounder, wider bowl, which increases the rate of oxidation. As oxygen from the air chemically interacts with the wine, flavor and aroma are believed to be subtly altered. This process of oxidation is generally considered more compatible with red wines, whose complex flavours are said to be smoothed out after being exposed to air. Red wine glasses can have particular styles of their own, such as
-Bordeaux glass: tall with a broad bowl, and is designed for full bodied red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah as it directs wine to the back of the mouth.
-Burgundy glass: broader than the Bordeaux glass, it has a bigger bowl to accumulate aromas of more delicate red wines such as Pinot noir. This style of glass directs wine to the tip of the tongue.

WHITE WINE GLASSES
These vary enormously in size and shape, from the delicately tapered Champagne flute, to the wide and shallow glasses used to drink Chardonnay. Different shaped glasses are used to accentuate the unique characteristics of different styles of wine. Wide-mouthed glasses function similarly to red wine glasses discussed above, promoting rapid oxidation which alters the flavor of the wine. White wines which are best served slightly oxidized are generally full-flavored wines, such as oaked chardonnay. For lighter, fresher styles of white wine, oxidation is less desirable as it is seen to mask the delicate nuances of the wine. To preserve a crisp, clean flavored wine, many white wine glasses will have a smaller mouth, which reduces surface area and in turn, the rate of oxidization. In the case of sparkling wine, such as Champagne or Asti, an even smaller mouth is used to keep the wine sparkling longer in the glass.

CHAMPAGNE FLUTES
Champagne flutes are characterised by a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top. The shape is designed to keep sparkling wine desirable during its consumption. Just as with wine glasses, the flute is designed to be held by the stem to help prevent the heat from the hand from warming the liquid inside. The bowl itself is designed in a manner to help retain the signature carbonation in the beverage. This is achieved by reducing the surface area at the opening of the bowl. Additionally, the flute design adds to the aesthetic appeal of champagne, allowing the bubbles to travel further due to the narrow design, giving a more pleasant visual appeal.

SHERRY GLASS
A sherry glass or schooner is drinkware generally used for serving aromatic alcoholic beverages, such as sherry, port, aperitifs, and liqueurs, and layered shooters. The copita, with its aroma-enhancing narrow taper, is a type of sherry glass.

FIVE BOCCALINO
A boccalino is a mug used in Ticino, Switzerland, to drink local wine (Merlot or similar). It has a volume of approximately 200 ml.

With a wide rage of different glasses for each type of wine, you are ready to choose the best glass for your wineing experience. Most importantly the glasses have evolved into elegant signature statements for whatever occasion you will choose to use them. Be sure to choose the best and Live The Joy Life!