Wine glass

A wine glass is a type of glass stemware that is used to drink and taste wine. It is generally composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot. Selection of a particular wine glass for a wine style is important, as the glass shape can influence its perception.

Use

The appropriate way to hold a wine glass, especially when drinking chilled wine, is to grasp it by the stem, in order to prevent the temperature of the wine being affected by body heat.

Materials

High quality wine glasses once were made of lead crystal, which has a higher index of refraction and is heavier than ordinary glass, but health concerns regarding the ingestion of lead resulted in their being replaced by lead-free crystal. Wine glasses, with the exception of the hock glass, are generally not coloured or frosted as doing so would diminish appreciation of the wine's colour.

Shapes

The effect of glass shape on the taste of wine has not been demonstrated by any scientific study and remains controversial. It is however believed by some that the shape of the glass is important, as it concentrates the flavour and aroma (or bouquet) to emphasize the varietal's characteristic. One common belief is that the shape of the glass directs the wine itself into the best area of the mouth from the varietal. This is based on false ideas about the nature of taste buds on the tongue, such as the thoroughly discredited tongue map.