A Discussion of Stemware A GOOD WINE IS ENTITLED TO A GREAT GLASS Just as you would choose a particular wine with finesse, so should you pick the glass. Glassware can be very important in the tasting of wine. I would recommend a big bowl, long stem, and a nice crystal will be most complimentary. Glass is made from sand containing silica mixed with ashes from trees, or marine plants. This is fired at very intense heat (1000 dregrees Fahrenheit). This molten blob is blown, cut and colored to create a perfect glass. It is an ancient art. The finest will be hand blown will acquire its own unique characteristics from this process. Red wine will be especially enhanced with a nice big bowl for swirling, oxygen, and color. Champagne on the other hand is best in a tulip shaped glass. The longer tulip shape keeps the bubbles closer together. A glass from fine crystal allows the bubbles to cling to the glass releasing the carbon dioxide a little slower, which makes for a crisper longer lasting bubbly. Ports however are better in a port tasting glass or even a snifter. The surface of your tongue is covered with hair-like projections called papillae, and groups of tastebuds are clustered around them. The tastebuds can distinguish four main types of flavor: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It is to these tastebuds, along with your sense of smell, that you are indebted for the pleasure of a fine wine. The shape of the glass rim directs the wine into a specific area of these taste buds.

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