Posts Tagged ‘wine glasses’
We’ve hit the week mark until Christmas is finally here and if you’re starting to get desperate for a present for the wine lover in your life, here are some suggestions that should be a hit when opened up on the 25th (or whenever you do your gift exchange).
Stemware
Yes, most of us have an abundance of glasses, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t like new ones, especially if they’re unique. One of my favorite gifts was several years ago my brother-in-law and his wife gave my wife and I a set of glasses that I liked so much that I went out and bought more of them so that I’d have a set of eight. The wine lover in your life probably has a good set of regular red and white glasses, but maybe some nice stemless glasses, or some champagne flutes, or even an interesting decanter.
Wine
This doesn’t have to be an expensive bottle of wine, and probably shouldn’t be to be honest. What it does need to be though is special – something memorable. For example, some years back for my Father I bought him a bottle of Portugese wine (his family is from Portugal) that was imported into the small town just outside of Boston where he grew up. The wine was good enough, only cost me about $20, and he loved the significance of both where the wine originated from and where it was brought in through.
If you’ve looked through my site, you’ll see that I’ve talked about whether or not it matters what type of glass you use. While I’ll never advocate spending huge amounts of money on wine glasses just for the sake of doing it, there is something to be said for having different wine glasses for your varying types of wine.
With so many different types of wine glasses out there, it can be confusing to decide which ones are right for you and your needs, both for the type of glasses and to fit your budget. Thankfully, Riedel is here to help you.
Riedel wine glasses come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and price points, and that’s great because it means no matter what you need, they have something for you. If you’re looking for some basic white and red wine glasses – they have that for you. If you’re in the market for some more elaborate glasses that will suit specific wine varietals such as Pinot Noir and Cabernet, well they have those too.
What’s nice about Riedel is that they’ve taken a lot of the guess work out of selecting wine glasses by designating exactly what each of their wine glasses should be used for. Featuring wine glasses designed for specific varietals and for different occasions (there will come a time when you want a top-quality stemless wine glass), Riedel has managed to put together one of the most complete selections of stemware anywhere.
What I like most about Riedel stemware is that it’s eyecatching. I know having your stemware look good doesn’t mean that it makes the wine any better, but wine glasses can be as much a fixture of your home bar as anything else, and having attractive wine glasses that function well too is never a bad thing.
No matter your needs, there’s no reason to not at least consider Riedel wine glasses for your stemware needs. Whether you need a few glasses or are looking to replace your entire stemware selection, they’ll have something to fit your style and budget.
There are a lot of different tools and accessories available to increase your wine enjoying experience, and while it’s impossible to have all of them, here are ten wine accessories that I think everybody should have.
A Good Solid Corkscrew
Corkscrews can come in a variety of styles, designs, and sizes. Whether you’re a fan of the small hand corkscrew like those used by waiters and bartenders at restaurants or want something larger that sits on your counter, a reliable corkscrew is the first tool that every wine lover should have. I quality corkscrew can make opening bottles of wine easier, and help prevent you from shredding the cork into the wine.
If you want a counter-top corkscrew, make sure it has some weight to it – that means pass on those little plastic ones with the suction cup bases. Something with a solid wood or metal base and a good metal arm is a must. If you prefer a smaller corkscrew, I like one where the actual corkscrew part is long and narrow, and with two leverage points for removing the cork, requiring less energy. If you’re really unsure, find a waiter or bartender you trust and ask them what kind of corkscrew they have.
Just about any store you go into that offers wine glasses will have a section marked off a red wine glasses and white wine glasses. The question I’ve often hear is “Does the glass type really matter”? There are varying opinions on this, but here are a few things that I’ve always thought about when asked that question.
When it comes to white wines, the type of glass that you use is really irrelevant. Some people will say that you should use a glass with a smaller opening or thinner bowl, but when it really comes down to it, the only thing that should really be of concern to you when selecting a glass for your white wine is whether or not it is clean. Nothing ruins wine quite as quickly as a dirty glass.
For red wines I’m often of a mixed opinion. While I typically use a glass with a larger opening and bowl than what I would use to pour white wine, neither do I think it will compromise the wine if you don’t use a glass like this. The advantage to using a glass with a larger bowl and opening is that a) you can get your nose into the bowl and really let the aromas of the wine wash over you and b) more oxygen is allowed into the glass allowing the flavors of the wine to open up, essentially like decanting the wine but on a smaller scale.
The other question I’ve heard is whether the material of the glass matters. This question is much easier to answer. While crystal looks great, and I’ll never not recommend it, glass is by far less expensive and since neither will have any effect on the actual taste of the wine, there’s really no reason to go out and spend money on crystal when some inexpensive glass goblets will do just as well.
When it comes to which glasses to drink your wine from, the best advice I can ever give is to go to your local store and invest in some inexpensive, basic wine glasses, roughly six labeled as “red wine” and six labeled as “white wine”. Most places will sell these for roughly two dollars a glass, which is great since you will eventually break some of them, and there’s no reason to be replacing $50 glasses just because somebody knocked one off the table.
As a side note, when it comes to whether or not to buy glasses with or without a stem, there really isn’t any difference with the notable exception of it being somewhat more difficult to knock over a glass without a stem. Personally, I’m a big fan of using stemless wine glasses for outdoor parties as you don’t have to worry about them getting knocked over and having broken glass in an area that’s harder to clean up. Either way, neither one will affect the taste, so whichever you prefer is always going to be fine.
