Glassware
You shouldn’t judge by appearances, but appearances do count! The right glassware is an important part of the dining experience, pleasing the eye and enabling full appreciation of the wine.
The glasses should be big enough and appropriate for wine. Clear oval-bowled stemware is best, since the glasses can be held by the stem. Holding a glass by the bowl warms the wine and leaves fingerprints. Turning a stemmed glass between one's fingers helps the wine to breathe, enhancing its flavour.
Showing off the wine is a glass's first function.
The glass must let the light through, enabling the diner to admire the wine's colour. A wide bowl exposes a broad surface to the air, enabling the wine to breathe, heightening its colour and especially its bouquet, helping aromas to circulate and keep.
Some companies specialize in making wineglasses.
Wineglass shapes have long been studied to promote the harmonious blending of aromas. These specialty glasses are sold in stores that carry wine accessories.
Standard table settings include four glasses, each designed for one kind of wine: white, red, effervescent (sparkling or champagne), and water.
They are arranged from left to right with the first glass in line with the plate or place setting. There are two ways of arranging them. The first is by size, from biggest to smallest—lovely to look at but not always logical. The second is according to the order of service: champagne flute, white wine glass, red wine glass, water glass. However, as the water glass is often quite big and the red wine glass rather small, you can switch them places. Also, there are various red wine glasses depending on the type of wine: slightly convex for bordeaux or claret, more rounded for burgundy, a little more open for chianti. Port glasses, which are smaller, can be set out on the table if they are to be used, with an entrée of Parma ham for example or with the cheese course.
When several wines are to be served, changing glasses during the course of the meal is preferable to lining up six or seven glasses in front of each guest.
Silver tumblers, coloured goblets or glasses may be used, but only for water.
Red Wines are served at room temperature, no more than 16 or 18°C. So cooling them a little beforehand is not necessarily a waste of time. Bottles are opened ahead of time and young wine is decanted to allow it to breathe.
White wines are served chilled, at the last minute.
Rosés are served neither chilled nor at room temperature but at a temperature between 11 and 15°C.
When serving wines, the natural progression is from younger to older wines, from mild flavoured to more strongly flavoured wines, from dry to sweet wines and generally, from whites to reds. The latter is a rule of thumb for avoiding an upset stomach.
- When pouring wine, hold the bottle by the middle and not by the neck and never rest it against the edge of the glass to keep it steady.
- Pour a little in your glass first to catch any bits of cork that there might be and taste it! Then serve your guests.
- Wine is not water. Fill glasses a little less than half full so that the wine's subtleties can be fully savoured and its deep, luminous colour appreciated.
- Never top up a half-full glass. It would look like you were trying to get a guest drunk!
- However, when you serve a new wine, ask everyone to finish their glass to avoid mixing different wines. Better yet, change the glasses if you have enough stemware.
- For dinners with old friends, a bottle holder can be set on the table close to the host.
- Bottles are never seen on the table at formal dinners.
- Finally, always keep a lovely pitcher or carafe of fresh water on the table. Water is for drinking, wine is for sipping.
For perfectly clean glasses, wash wineglasses by hand and rinse with hot water. Avoid scented dishwashing liquids; their smell will linger on your glassware. Dry glasses quickly with a dry, soft, clean dish towel.
If glasses haven’t been used in a long time and are quite dirty, let them stand in warm water to which you have added white vinegar and a handful of pickling salt. Lime deposits and dirt will disappear.
Tinted, frosted or coloured glasses hide the beauty of wine. Goblets prevent diners from enjoying the visual splendour of their wine. If you want to add a fancy touch to your table, use coloured water glasses or goblets.