Does a glass of wine make a difference when drinking wine? The simple answer is yes, but what difference does it make, that depends on your ability to smell and taste. I went to a wine tasting at a local winery when they were tasting Norton wine (full bodied red) using 2 different wine glasses, 1 Riedel (designed for Norton wine) and a standard wine tasting glass. Now, I’m not a sommelier and I don’t have the taste buds or nose for one, but I could tell a noticeable difference when I tried the Norton in the Riedel glass versus the tasting glass, so much so that after a Taste or two, I poured the remaining wine from the tasting glass in the Riedel glass.

When you go to a chain restaurant and order wine, you will likely get a standard wine glass, which will be used for both red and white wine and is often a small glass, which they fill to the brim. This is my pet peeve, I guess they are worried about customer complaints about not getting a full glass, but this leaves no room to stir the wine. 4 ounces is considered a full glass, so don’t be impressed when a restaurant fills your glass completely because it’s still only 4 ounces. When you go to a fine-dining restaurant, you should be presented with a wine glass that adequately addresses the type of wine (red or white) and is large enough to swirl at will (still 4 ounces).

Sorry, I got sidetracked. When shopping for wine glasses for yourself, buy one with a container large enough to allow you to stir the wine and appreciate the aroma. Leave 2/3 of the glass to stir. So do I need a different glass for each type of wine? I don’t think so, but others may disagree. It depends on the type of wine you drink, for red wine drinkers I would recommend a good set of Bordeaux glasses, for white wine drinkers a good set of Chardonnay glasses. Good wine glasses do not have a rounded lip/hump at the top of the container and are not heavy. If you’re serious about enjoying all aspects of wine, it’s worth investing in some good quality wine glasses.

Depending on how often you drink champagne or fortified wines, you might consider these specialty glasses, but if it’s once a year on New Years, it’s probably not worth the money. If you want a special wine glass for a specific type of wine, they are available, I have some.

Riedel glasses are well known and have a great reputation but they are expensive. Ravenscroft glasses are lead free crystal and are of great quality, also with a great reputation but are less expensive than Riedel glasses.

For home use, buy the glasses you’ll wear most often, and scale up from there, if you’d like. You don’t need a lot just for yourself or very small parties with people who appreciate wine. Use inexpensive cups for large pieces, you won’t be worried if there is any breakage.