It was in shabby but comfy French cafés that I learned that common folk typically took their wine in tumblers – and decided that, since I was common folk myself, I should henceforth do the same. Over the years my wife and I have collected some nicer glassware, only some of it on purpose. Not all of it is of the stemmed variety and not all is what anyone would call elegant. Forty plus years on, we’re still collecting. A selection from our wineglass menagerie appears above (double click to enlarge). I’ll describe each moving left to right
The short, stemmed, tulip-shaped glass is the one recommended by the standards organizations (ISO or INAO) and are frequently used in formal tasting events. They get the heaviest use of any glasses I own. Price: Around $25 for a set of six.
The squat, footed glass is one Samuel Adams Brewery designed for its premium Utopias brew. Yes, a beer glass. One bounced around the Boston Globe for a while before eventually making its way to us. We found it perfect for wine, bought two more from Sam, then received a pair as gifts from a friend. These are the glasses we fill every Friday night. Why Friday? It’s ordinarily the only night of the week my weight-conscious spouse drinks wine. Price: Around $30 each.
A decanter we bought in a funky shop on a backstreet in Avignon and have always loved it despite its squat figure and a lip that dribbles hopelessly. Price: It seemed like a lot at the time.
One of a set of outsized Riedel Sommelier Series Bordeaux glasses we received as a wedding gift. These have always felt a wee bit pretentious, so we don’t take them out very often. Other issues are the height (9″) and supermodel legginess, two factors that make me nervous. But when the occasion requires us to pour something big and red, it’s what we reach for. Price: We try not to think about it.
An example of the value-priced Riedel Overture series that is my favorite all-purpose, formal stem. Good sized, but not show-off big, this glass does yeoman’s work and are most often just the thing when there’s enough of a wine on offer to make the glass matter. One doesn’t fret about their center of gravity – there’s little chance a stray elbow or cuff will send one into the hostesses’ lap — and although they come in both red and more slender white version, the shape and volume is such that either does fine for whatever we’re pouring. Price: Around $10 each.
The tumbler is a diminutive, virtually indestructible version of the Gibraltar (‘rocks glass’) beloved of restaurant and hotel bars all over the world. At 4 1/2″ inches it doesn’t hold much, but has a reassuring steadiness and the aura of those tumblers we first learned to love in the rough and ready (now defunct) Cafe des Beaux Arts on the Rue Bonapart in Paris. Anytime we have real crowd, this is what we reach for, simply because we have more of them than anything else. Price: Around $2 each.
The experts will tell you that proper wine glasses need bowls that are broad near the bottom and taper toward the top. The idea is to give the aromatics a place to gather so you can the better breathe them in. The last glass but one in this group defies such logic. It’s one of a set of six French-made Baccarat glasses given to us by eminent food historian, former curator of the culinary collection at the Schlesinger Library, and beloved teacher Barbara Wheaton. The shape of these gem-quality antiques seem to owe everything to their elegant 1930’s style and much less to function. We use them rarely but always appreciatively, and only for the few bottles of older Burgundy we’ve managed to collect over the years. Price: Impossible to say.
We love a sparkler – occasionally Champagne, but most often some little regional bubbly — and never start even the most informal dinner party without one. We have a few proper flutes, but never use them, preferring these footed, stemless glasses – originally designed for absinthe. My wife bought the original two at Pierre Deux in the early 80’s, then one or two more as she could afford it. We recently snapped up a few more at a shop in Hudson, N.Y. Price: Around $25 each
I’m not prepared to guess how much of the pleasure of wine comes from the look and feel of the vessel you sip it from – except to say that for us it’s considerable.
-Stephen Meuse
This Week in the Wine Corner . . .
THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 3-6 PM – YEOMAN’S WORK
2017 Fondo Bozzole, “Incantabiss” Lambrusco Mantovano, $18.95
2017 Quenard, Vin de Savoie “Les Abymes,” $17.95
2016 Jean Vullien, Cru Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte Vin de Savoie, $16.95
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 3-6 PM – CENTER OF GRAVITY
NV Pere Mata, Cupada Rose of Cava, $18.95
2017 Gueguen, Côtes Salines Bourgogne Chardonnay, $19.95
2016 Punta Crena, Riviera Ligure di Ponente Rossese, $23.95