Any alcoholic beverage requires special utensils for serving. Even different sorts of wines are usually poured into glasses of different shapes in order to maximize all the advantages and depth of taste.
Flute
A flute (from the French word flûte - flute) is a narrow glass with a thin stem. As a rule, the volume of this type of glassware is 150 ml, but there are also more voluminous glasses - up to 300 ml. The elongated shape of the glass allows the drink to keep the bubbles of carbon dioxide contained in sparkling drinks for as long as possible. In addition, the long leg, by which the wine glass should be held, does not allow the warmth of the hands to warm the wine ahead of time and allows the drink to remain chilled for as long as possible, retaining all its taste.
Before serving the drink, the flute glass, like the type of sparkling wine intended for it, must be very chilled. Ice cubes are never added to champagne and sparkling wines, so as not to dilute the drink with excess water and spoil the taste. According to the rules of wine etiquette, the glass cannot be filled more than 2/3 of its volume, and it must be filled very slowly, allowing the drink to flow down the side of the glass and not foam.
In glasses of flutes, it is customary to serve dry varieties of champagne (categories Dry, Extra-Dry, Brut and Brut nature, in which there is little or no sugar) and dry sparkling wines. Canapes (with gourmet meat, caviar, seafood), fruits and even biscuits are suitable as snacks. On the basis of the above drinks, cocktails are sometimes prepared, the ingredients for which are mixed directly in the flute. Several champagne-based recipes:
- Kir Royal: Dry Champagne (100 ml) and Blackcurrant Liqueur (15 ml).
- Hemingway Champagne: dry champagne (100 ml) and absinthe (20 ml).
- Black Velvet: Dry Champagne (60 ml) and Stout, Dark Ale (60 ml).
Champagne Saucer glass
Literally translated from English, Champagne Saucer is a champagne saucer. In our usual native language, the name sounds rather strange, but if you look at the shape of this glass, then everything will fall into place. This type of barware really strongly resembles a wide saucer, but its sides are slightly higher and there is an elegant thin leg. Nowadays, Champagne Saucer glass is used quite rarely, and many people do not even know that something other than the usual long glasses is intended for sparkling wines. There is a practical difference between them, and a significant one.
A pre-chilled drink in such a wide glass heats up quickly and releases air bubbles, so the volume of a champagne saucer is usually much smaller than the volume of a flute - only 120 ml. It is intended for buffet events, where it is not customary to walk with glasses in hand for a long time. In addition, the unique shape of the dishes allows you to build the famous pyramids from champagne glasses, which looks very impressive at any festive ceremonies. In Champagne Saucer glass, it is customary to serve sweet or dessert varieties of champagne (Demi-sec, Doux) and sparkling wines. Again, ice is not added to these drinks, but decorations, for example, a cocktail cherry, look spectacular in a glass with a wide neck.
Red wine glass
The direct purpose of this type of glass is read in the name - it is a special glass for red wine. Contrary to popular belief, red and white wines require different types of wine glasses. Red Wine Glass has a tulip-like, somewhat spherical shape. Thin glass, forming a neck tapering towards the top, does not allow a wide range of wine aromas to leave the glass prematurely, and also expands the area of interaction of the drink with air, revealing its subtle aromas.
Red wine glasses usually hold 500-750 ml, but they only need to be filled by 1/3 or less. This distribution of volumes (1/3 of wine and 2/3 of air) saturates the drink with oxygen. In addition, a large glass filled to the brim with wine is almost impossible to hold by the stem, and fingerprints on the main bowl look at least unaesthetic. In addition, the warmth of the hands quickly warms the drink, which is unacceptable for wine, because ice cannot be added to it, as to sparkling wines. It is customary to serve meat delicacies and hard cheese as an appetizer for red wines.
White Wine Glass
White wine glasses have more elongated and straight sides than red wine glasses. This difference is explained by the fact that the aroma of white wines, as a rule, is less intense and does not need to be delayed by the rim of the glass. In addition, the elongated shape of the wine glass allows the drink to have minimal contact with oxygen, which can harm the taste of white wines.
Soft types of cheeses, mushroom snacks and seafood as appetizers perfectly accentuate the taste of white wine. Before serving, it should be cooled to 7-10 degrees. You need to hold the glass by the long leg, using all your fingers (without protruding your little finger).
Porto glass
Porto glasses are intended for port wine - a drink that is created using fermenting grape juice and alcohol. Porto glass is usually less voluminous than all the glasses discussed above, because it is intended for a stronger drink. According to its external features, Porto resembles a glass for white wine, only slightly smaller (only 80-100 ml) and a shorter stem.
The etiquette of serving this noble drink includes a number of rules. So, port is usually stored horizontally, but a week before serving, the bottle must be placed vertically. It is not customary to pour fortified wine directly from the original container; it should be poured into a special decanter. Consequently, long-term storage of open port wine is out of the question: it is not intended for resealing. Port wine is served with cheese and sweet fruits.
Sherry glass
Sherry is a drink whose name in Russian sounds like Sherry. This is a Spanish drink made from dried grapes, aged in loosely closed barrels and fortified with alcohol. Sherry Glass is tapered with a wide mouth. Since the drink is quite strong, the dishes for it should be of a very small volume - 50-60 ml.
But the Sherry glass is not only intended for sherry, another drink is suitable for it - vermouth, a fortified wine based on herbs. Almost any dish is suitable for an appetizer with these types of drinks, as they go well with both meat products and baked goods.
Cognac Balloon
The main purpose of this type of glass, as the name implies, is to serve cognac. For its preparation, Trebbiano grapes are squeezed using special presses without damaging the seeds, left to ferment for several weeks, and then distilled (remove excess liquid) until strong cognac alcohol is obtained. After all the procedures, the cognac is kept in tightly closed oak barrels for about 3-5 years.
It is worth noting that the word Balloon (ball) appears in the name for a reason, because the classic glass for serving cognac really has a spherical shape with a tapering neck. It is not customary to cool the cognac before serving; its temperature should not be lower than 20 degrees. The French, who created the Cognac drink, consider its use as a whole culture. They do not recognize any kind of snacks for him, believing that only strong coffee and a cigar will help to reveal the deep taste of real cognac.
