There’s something undeniably sultry and sophisticated about a glass of red wine. Perhaps it’s the deep, rich color. Maybe it’s the complexity of the aroma. Or it could be the coquettish way flavors dance and linger on the tongue. Upon reflection, it’s all of the above.
While conventional wisdom holds that white wine is best served in taller, narrower glasses and red wine should be poured into shorter, wider glasses, that’s just the beginning. Just as there are many different varietals for red wine — full-bodied, medium-bodied, spicy and aromatic — there are different glasses best designed to complement the unique flavor profiles.
For all red wines, the glass should feature a fuller shape than what you’d want for your favorite white wine. Fuller-bodied reds are best served in glasses with a steeper slope and a wider opening. Medium-bodied reds, on the other hand, are best enjoyed in a wider, bell-shaped glass that has a narrow opening, which allows the flavors to hit your tongue a bit slower. And glasses designed for spicier, more aromatic reds combine the best of the two: wider bowls with a gently tapered shape and a wider opening.
red and white wine glasses
Red wine glasses and white wine glasses differ in shape and size, dependent on the type of wine they’re intended to hold. Red wine glasses are typically taller and have a larger bowl than white wine glasses. As reds are generally bigger and bolder wines, they require a larger glass to allow all those aromas and flavors to emerge.
Key Differences:
Generally speaking, white wine glasses have smaller bowls than red wine glasses. The walls of a white wine glass bowl will also be less curved. White wine glasses have much narrower openings than red wine glasses.
Affect on the Senses:
Because red wines are generally more full-bodied than whites, red wine glasses benefit from having larger bowls. The larger, more roundly-shaped bowls allow more air to interact with the wine. This will allow the flavors to open up and display themselves more prominently. A white wine doesn’t need as much aeration.
The larger bowls of red wine glasses also let the wine’s aromatic qualities display more robustly. Much like a decanter, red wine glasses are built to “open up” the wine’s aromas. White wine glasses have shorter bowls. This allows the drinker to bring the wine closer to their nose, which is helpful for more subtly aromatic white wines.
Red wine glasses create a more visible surface area, which can make it easier to see the wine’s viscosity and color as it is swirled in the glass.
Stem Length:
One of the main distinctions between red and white wine glasses is the length of the stem. Most white wine glasses have longer stems than red wine glasses, allowing the drinker greater distance between their hand and their beverage. The reason for this? White wines are more temperature-sensitized and need to be served below room temperature. A longer stem allows the drinker to distance their hand from the bowl, preventing any warming of the wine from body heat.
The feet of white wine glasses and red wine glasses are very similar in size and shape.
