Beginner’s Guide to Glassware: 3 Types of Wine Glasses You Need to Know
You’ve just fallen in love with wine, and we have to wonder: what took you so long? No worries—what matters now is building your stemware collection with gorgeous, functional and versatile glasses.
Drumroll, please … may we introduce you to the red wine glass, the white wine glass and the flute. These three powerhouses will get you started with panache—you’ll be impressing friends and family in no time. But beware: building your collection can be as addicting as nabbing that vintage bottle of vino. As luck would have it, we’re here to help.
The Basics
Good wine glasses are so much more than simply vessels from which to drink. They’re created to enhance the wine-drinking experience, so each type of wine deserves its own glass. Although you can purchase glasses for different varietals (a pinot noir glass, for example), beginners do well with a few multitasking stalwarts.
At Luigi Bormioli, we know when the moment matters, the glass matters. We’ve got a glass for every occasion—and we craft our timeless stemware with just-the-right bowl to cradle your wine, optimal head space to develop aromas, the perfect mouth for sipping while enjoying the bouquet and a sturdy stem to hold so your wine remains the correct temperature.
The Red Wine Glass
This glass will generally be taller with a larger bowl to allow bold reds’ aromas and flavors to unfold. Reds open up and express themselves thanks to oxidation, which is enhanced by more surface area afforded by a red wine glass’ bigger bowl (and more room for successful swirling). May we suggest: Supremo Burgundy, Supremo Bordeaux and Supremo Chianti. Enjoy the full spectrum of reds in these targeted masterpieces.
The White Wine Glass
This glass typically is shorter and slimmer than a red wine glass. White wines tend to have softer aromas and, while they’re still important to your tasting experience, they tend to emerge beautifully in a more modest head space. Whites don’t need to be oxidized, so they do well in a smaller bowl with less wine surface area. The smaller glass also helps keep the white wine at its cooler temp a bit longer, too. May we suggest: Supremo Chardonnay. Present your white wine favorites in this elegant piece of stemware.
The Flute
This glass offers the traditional way to drink sparkling wine or champagne—tall, svelte, with an ample stem and a small bowl that grows into the perfect head space to usher delicate bubbles to the surface. Those bubbles bring forth sparkling’s unique aromas as you sip. May we suggest: Supremo Champagne. Toast with this classic flute for bubbly perfection.
Why Supremo?
Our entire made-in-Italy Supremo line is designed with an elegant bowl shape specifically crafted to emphasize and develop the wine’s aroma and flavor. Supremo stemware is carefully made in conjunction with the prestigious Italian Centro Studi Assaggiatori, international specialists in food and beverage sensory analysis. Plus, Supremo boasts two of our proprietary technologies: it’s TITANIUM reinforced for stem strength and durability, and SON.hyx keeps it flawlessly brilliant and strong. Like all Luigi Bormioli products made with SON.hyx, it carries a 25-Year Guarantee that guards against chipping on the rim or foot, as well as discoloration or cloudiness resulting from washing. (Did we mention they’re dishwasher safe, too?)
We invite you to stock your burgeoning bar with our stemware. Salute!
Luigi Bormioli, the designer label of glassmaking, is synonymous with Italian Lifestyle. Our proprietary glassware formulas allow for an exciting fusion of elegance and technology. Designed to enhance the tabletop and elevate the entertaining experience, these machine blown glasses are made in Italy, lead-free, durable, have laser cut fine rims, and will maintain their clarity after thousands of dishwashing cycles. You will enjoy their quality, brilliance, and strength for many years to come.