Champagne Glasses, Champagne Flutes
Important Stemware Topics
- About Champagne Glasses
- About Our Stemware
- Controlling the Flow
- Examples with Burgundy and Bordeaux...
- A Very Important Example with Champagne...
- Bouquet and the Role of the Wine Glass...
- Lead-free vs Leaded Crystal... Can Someone Please Explain?
- Does the Rim of the Wine Glass Really Make a Difference?
- Hand Blown versus Machine Made Glasses...
- Taste Buds are on Alert...
- Glass breaks. That's why its glass...
- Stolzle versus Riedel and Spiegelau...
- Ask the Sommelier
Sparkling University
A Very Important Example with Champagne Glasses
Here at SparklingStemware.com we take our Champagne glasses and Champagne flutes very seriously. We think one of the all time injustices when it comes to stemware is the invention of the wide rimmed Champagne glass popularized in the 20's and the tapered V-shaped glass that Taittenger made famous with their timeless Grace Kelly ad. These are perfect examples of wine glass designs that simply don't work.
First off, one of the aims of a Champagne flute is to retain the fizz or the carbon dioxide. Carbonation is lost, first when the bottle is opened and then obviously incrementally over time. Once it is residing in the glass, it is released through the popping of the tiny bubbles on the surface of the wine but even more so through the contact of the entire surface area of the wine with the surrounding air. (think of the surface area as a disc on top of the wine) So.less surface area at the top of the glass is better. We figure our Professional Series Champagne flute to have probably 1/6th the surface area of a Champagne "cup" and maybe 1/3rd that of some of the larger tulip shaped glasses we have seen. Sure, the latter are fairly elegant and attractive, but they're just plain no good for bubbles.
Secondly, a tapered Champagne flute will direct the wine to the center and back of your tongue, where, if the Champagne is worthy enough, it will better show off its savory, brioche-like qualities.
Last, and probably most important, is that the tapered Champagne flute is designed to concentrate the aromas and the tiny explosions of your bubbles to a smaller area at the top of your glass. This sensation is one of the most delightful experiences in tasting fine Champagne, when the bubbles tickle your nose and the wonderful aromas of a vintage Champagne are at their peak. Wider rimmed Champagne glasses just don't perform well in this respect.