Red vs White Wine Glasses: Differences, Types of Glasses

Whether you’re a longtime wine enthusiast or a wine tasting novice, you’ll need the right wine glass to get the best out of your precious bottle.

Serving a good vintage in the wrong wine glassware could sometimes impair the aroma and ruin your experience.

Let’s compare the main red vs white wine glass differences, the main red and white wine glassware types, and discover the importance of using the right wine glass.

What’s The Difference Between Red and White Wine Glasses?

There are two main characteristics that differentiate red wine glasses from white ones.

1. The Bowl

• Red wine glasses: A red wine glass has a larger bowl than a white wine glass. 

Red wine is typically more full-bodied and the roundly-shaped larger bowl accelerates the wine aeration process.

White wines typically do not need to be aerated.   

• White wine glasses: The bowl of a white wine glass is less curved, shorter, and has a much narrower opening than a red wine glass. As the bowl is shorter, you can bring the wine closer to your nose to experience the delicate aromas.

2. The Stem

• White wine glasses: White wines are best served chilled. A white wine glass has a longer stem which prevents your hand from coming into contact with the wine glass bowl and warming the wine. 

• Red wine glass: Most red wines are best enjoyed at room temperature. So even if your hand comes in contact with the bowl, it won’t affect the wine’s flavors and aromas. 

Since red wine doesn't get affected by the slightly warmer temperature, you can also serve it in a stemless wine glass. 

Stemless glasses are great for parties because guests are less likely to knock them over. 

Why You Need Different Glasses for Red and White Wine

The anatomy of a red wine glass helps to mellow the harsh tannins of most red wines. It also helps make spicier, bolder red wines smoother and more rounded. 

Whereas, white wine glasses are designed to preserve the cooler temperature and delicate floral aromas of white wines. 

Many manufacturers like Zalto Denkart and Schott Zwiesel produce universal glass sets that you could use for every style of wine. 

However, you won’t experience the same wine taste and aromas using a universal glass as you would if you use the apt red or white wine glass. 

Experts agree that wine glass shape has a significant effect on the nose and finish of wine. 

For example, a study conducted by a Tokyo Medical and Dental University professor proved that the classic red wine glass shape disperses the alcohol concentration from the center of the glass to the rim. This enables us to experience the wine’s aroma without the interference of ethanol gas.

Different Types of Wine Glasses

Here are the different glass types for red and white wine.

1. Red Wine Glasses

There are three main red wine glass shapes. 

• Large Bordeaux glass: This red wine glass is tall with a broad bowl which helps some of the ethanol to evaporate, resulting in a more pronounced and fragrant wine aroma. The broad glass shape also makes red wines taste smoother. 

Use the Bordeaux glass type for bold reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Bordeaux blends.

• Standard red wine glass: This is the best wine glass for medium to full-bodied red wines with spicy notes and higher alcohol content.

The smaller opening allows the flavors to reach your tongue more progressively, softening the wine’s bold flavors. 

Use this glass for wines like Zinfandel, Syrah (Shiraz), Malbec, and Petite Sirah wines. 

• Bourgogne or Burgundy glass (also known as a Pinot Noir glass): The Burgundy glass is a good choice for lighter red wines with more delicate aromas. It has an even wider bowl than the standard red wine and Bordeaux glasses. This helps pick up all the wine’s subtle aromas. 

Use this glass shape for wines like Pinot Noir, Gamay, Zweigelt, and Valpolicella blends.

2. White Wine Glasses

There are four main types of white wine glasses. 

• Sauvignon Blanc glass: This white wine glass is bestfor medium and light bodied white wines. It’s a tall glass with a slightly slender bowl that helps capture the nuanced, floral, and fruity notes while guiding the aroma to the nose. 

Use this glass shape for Sauvignon Blanc, white Bordeaux, Fume Blanc, Vinho Verde, Chenin Blanc, Muscadet, Muscat Blanc, and Pinot Grigio. 

• Chardonnay glass: This white wine glass is best for full-bodied wines.The wider bowl is designed to open up and balance the aroma of heavier wine styles.  

It has a larger opening than other white wine glasses. When drinking wine from this glass, the liquid flows from the tip to the sides of the tongue. This lets the wine drinker taste all the wine's layered flavors.

This glass is suitable for Chardonnay, Semillon, Viognier, and other full-bodied whites.

• Champagne and sparkling wine glasses: The smaller bowl of this glass helps retain the wine’s bubbles and enhances its flavor.   

This glass can be used for sparkling wines like Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, and Franciacorta. 

• Sweet white wine glass:The small rim guides the wine towards the center and back of the tongue to avoid overwhelming your palate with the wine’s concentrated sweet flavor. 

Use this glass for Riesling, Gruner Veltliner, and other white and red dessert wine styles.

Choose The Ideal Glass To Open Up The Flavors of Your Wine!

Sure, you could use a universal wine glass for your favorite reds and whites, but if you really want to get the most out of your wine, the right glassware is essential. 

Now that you know the difference between a red and a white wine glass,  you may be looking for some swoon-worthy wines to drink from them. 

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