How important is glassware anyway?

I get asked all the time about glassware, and the effect it has on wine. I have attended a Riedel Tasting, where wines are tasted out of the "wrong" glass and then out of the "right" glass, and yes, there is a perceptible difference in the nose and taste perception of the wine. But, who of us can afford multiple shapes of glasses for the myriad of grape varieties out there?

I propose that most people can afford three types of wine glasses. Proper champagne flutes are a must, as any other shape destroys the "mousse" or bubbles in the wine, and basically, it's the bubbles you paid for.

The next essential glass is a tulip shaped multi-purpose glass. It should have a generous capacity to allow swirling of the wine, it should have no beaded rim, and the glass should be as thin as possible. The rim does interfere with the tactile perception of the wine. If you don't believe me, try tasting wine from a clunky water glass, then from a rimless glass and see the difference. The top of the glass needs to be narrower, to trap the aroma molecules and allow us to more easily smell them. This shape of glass will work with almost all white wines, and most reds will taste just fine from it. Fancy names for this shape of glass are "Bordeaux", or "Cabernet" glasses. Since wines from the Bordeaux region are mostly blends, you can see why this works as a multi-purpose glass.

The next most important glass is a bowl shaped glass, sometimes called a "burgundy" or Pinot Noir" glass. The same guidelines for size and rim apply. This glass is best for - obviously - Pinot Noir, but it also works well for Barolo, Chateauneuf du Pape, and single varietals included in that catchall name - eg. Grenache. It also works well for White Burgundy, which is - Chardonnay! It brings out the oakiness in wine produced using similar techniques to those used for the fine white wines of Burgundy, so if you want to emphasize the oak, choose this style of glass.

To get more technical, smaller tulip shaped glasses are important to enjoy Port and Sherry, and they also work well for Dessert Wines like Icewine, since a 2 ounce serving of these is all you want at a time. These glasses are available as ISO 9001 wine tasting glasses.

That's about all you need, and all I have. I would rather put my money into wine than glasses!