A staff training infographic worth 1,000 words

BY MARNIE OLD

Wine tastes good enough to be enjoyed from any vessel , even sipped straight from the bottle with a straw . But wine is almost always served in specialized wine glasses that feature a deep bowl atop an elongated stem . Why ? Because doing so makes them more pleasing to your nose . Just as darkened theaters are flattering to movies by focusing our visual attention on the bright screen , stemmed glasses with large bowls are flattering to wines by focusing our attention on their aromatics . BD

ANATOMY OF A WINE GLASS Most glasses or cups are designed to be practical and filled to capacity , as with stackable tumblers or sturdy coffee cups . Wine glasses are not at all practical . Instead , every feature is oriented around swirling , sniffing and maintaining wine ’ s temperature — all to enhance wine ’ s scent . There are all sorts of wine glasses — some made for specific styles of wine — but one single all-purpose wine glass is really all you need .

RIM

Wine glasses are most fragile at the lip , so practical glasses often feature sturdy rolled rims , while deluxe glasses have more fragile cut rims that can feel amazingly sheer .

BOWL

Wine glasses should feature large bowls that can easily hold five-to-six ounces of wine with enough room to swirl to amplify the wine ’ s scent . Wine is loaded with volatile components that evaporate easily : not just alcohol , but also aromatic compounds like esters and aldehydes . Bowls should narrow at the top to focus these smells . Ideally , they should not be filled more than halfway , or above the widest point .

HEADSPACE

Wine glasses leave ample space between the wine surface and the rim to allow the glass to be swirled without spilling . Swirling increases the wine ’ s surface area and therefore its rate of evaporation . The resulting aroma compounds get trapped in the headspace , concentrating their scent .

STEM

Stems are “ handles ” designed to keep your fingers off the bowl . Even small changes in temperature alter wine ’ s flavor , and glass quickly transmits body heat . Stems should comfortably fit the width of your hand at the knuckles between the base and bowl .

BASE

Well , you may need to set the glass down . Possibly .

Author and sommelier Marnie Old is one of the country ’ s leading wine experts . Formerly the director of wine studies for Manhattan ’ s esteemed French Culinary Institute , she is best known for her visually engaging books published by DK – the award-winning Wine : A Tasting Course and He Said Beer , She Said Wine .

12 Beverage Dynamics • July / August 2019 www . beveragedynamics . com