What wine glasses do I need for my dinner party?

What wine glasses do I need for my dinner party?

You'll typically want a separate glass for each type of wine served, arranged from right to left in the order they'll be used (while food is served from left to right, wine is traditionally poured from right to left).  The particular glasses you use will depend on the food you're serving (wider for reds and narrower for whites, with smaller glasses for aperitifs, and one for water).  Note that I used the words "wider" and "narrower," and not "taller" or "smaller."  This is because any wineglass, whether for whites or reds, should have an ample bowl (be large in size) to give the wine room and allow its flavors to evolve.

How important is a thin rim?

You may have heard that wine tastes better from a glass with a narrow rim.  This is actually true, or at least of how your perception of the wine is affected, because as the bowl narrows it focuses the wine's aromas towards your nose.  Therefore, the more it narrows, the more you will be able to enjoy the scent of the wine at the same time you taste it.

Which wine glasses do I buy and where?

With the dozens of wine glass manufacturers out there to choose from, and prices ranging from several dollars to several hundred dollars (per glass), this can often be a daunting task.  The rules of thumb are:

• Only buy glasses you can afford to break (ie. if you pay $25 per glass and never use them - what's the point?)
• Some of your glasses will break, so buy more than you anticipate on needing.
• Buy glasses that are clear and smooth, to show off your wine's color.  You don't want fancy-looking glasses that detract from your wine - after all, you want to be admiring your wine, and not the wineglass.
• Choose glasses with long stems - you don't want to hold the bowl, as that will warm your wine above its optimal temperature.

References: The Wine Bible (2001), by Karen MacNeil