Dear Dr. Vinny,
I enjoyed your recent answer about being served wine in stemless glasses, and I have a related wineglass question. I love drinking Champagne out of a flute, and sometimes even a coupe. But a friend insists that I should always drink it out of a normal white wine glass. What’s your take?
—John, Iowa City, Iowa
Dear John,
When it comes to choosing a wineglass, the only rule I live by is to use the glass you like best. If it feels good in your hand and you like the way it looks, you’re more likely to enjoy the wine inside, which is what counts. In that sense, the only wineglass I have a real problem with is one that leaks!
That said, you ask a common question, and one that can be controversial among wine lovers. Some people don’t like Champagne flutes because, while they’re pretty and theoretically help preserve the bubbles, they make it hard to smell the wine—and almost impossible to swirl it. I enjoy watching the pretty bubbles rise up in a flute as much as anyone, but I also like being able to swirl and sniff my wine.
I have a feeling that a lot of people don’t think about smelling their sparkling wine, which is a shame—the aroma of great sparkling wine can be one of its most rewarding aspects. For that reason, I always encourage people to try drinking bubbles out of a regular glass at least once. If you don’t get much joy out of the swirl and sniff approach, then by all means, go back to a flute.
I love the retro elegance of coupes, but they have problems too. It’s hard to swirl the wine, like with a flute, and the bowl is so large that the wine’s aromas will probably lack focus. The wine is also likely to lose its bubbles too fast.
The solution to all of these problems is (you guessed it!) a regular wineglass. You can use a glass designed for white wine, though many of these are pretty small, so I usually prefer a straightforward, universal glass. Some companies even make special tulip-shaped glasses designed for bubbles. These combine the chic slimness of a flute with the larger bowl and swirlability of a regular glass. I still find some of them to be a bit too small, but I’ve been impressed by the larger ones I’ve seen recently.
When you order a glass or bottle of bubbly at a restaurant, it’s perfectly OK to ask for a regular glass if that’s how you enjoy your sparkling wine. That said, it’s also OK to go with a flute or a coupe! I’ve even been known to put my bubbles (especially well-aged Champagne) in a Burgundy glass, which really lets the aromas shine. If I were you, I’d give your friend’s preferred glass a go and see if you like it. If not, don’t feel bad about sticking to your flute.
What about stemless? Stemless glasses are also the subject of controversy and even ire among wine lovers. While I usually drink wine out of stemmed glasses, stemless glasses certainly have a time and a place—and hey, they’re better than nothing! I’ve had many enjoyable glasses of sparkling wine served in a stemless glass, and even a coffee cup. As long as I can enjoy the wine’s aromas and have bubbles in my glass, I’m a happy camper.
—Dr. Vinny
