Not many people fully understand why you can buy so many different shaped glasses in the shops these days. To the uninitiated the variety may seem a little unnecessary, surely they can’t change the flavor of the liquid they hold can they? Interestingly they can, so lets take a look at some of the more common glass shapes and how they came to be this design.
Whisky Glasses. There is a very good reason why people consume whisky from large-diameter glasses rather than the tall thin variety. Whisky is often served in small amounts as it is frequently enjoyed straight, rather than being added to a mixer. What this means is that if it were served in a tall thin glass with ice, the ice would have to be stacked up and only a small amount would be in contact with the whisky. As ice is necessary to chill the whisky and release its deeper flavors, it’s best to serve the drink in a wide shallow glass where the ice can move around and have more contact area with the liquid, thus chilling the whisky more.
Champagne Glasses.If you have ever wondered why this often expensive drink is served in a tall and narrow glass, here is your answer. The sparkling nature of champagne means that it gives off a gas when the bubbles reach the surface and burst. If the glass was wider then your nose would enter the glass when drinking and the gas would enter the sinuses, having a negative effect on the flavor.
Red and White Wine Glassware. You will find that red wine glasses tend to have a large, deep-bowled body. What this means is that you can swish as swirl the wine about in the glass, breaking up the flavours and releasing more of them into the body of the wine.Additionally, more air-born aromas can be inhaled as the drinker’s nose is able to fit into the glass’ bowl. Most people drink white wine out of a glass with smaller proportions and not so much of a bowl-shape. The reason for this is that white wine tastes better when the flavours are condensed in the glass and the aromas not absorbed so much via the nasal passage.
[phpbay]wineglasses,12, “”, “”[/phpbay]
