More of Your Wine Questions Answered

So, here we are back again with a few more common questions about wine. We all have them -- these came from a dear friend -- but sometimes we're just a bit too intimidated to ask. I mean, who is going to risk the ridicule of one's sommelier or local wine expert?

Now, before you roll your eyes -- OK, maybe too late -- there are plenty of great wine folks out there who are smart, patient and willing to repeat some advice for the umpteenth time, but the sad truth is there are at least as many pretentious boors who seem to live to embarrass the hapless wine neophyte.

Never fear, you've got questions and I've got answers. And next time you meet one of those pretentious boors, remember there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

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Does wine taste different depending on the glass it's served in?

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This one is a bit tricky, but here goes. Yes, and no. Some wines are really very simple and your experience with them will vary little no matter what glass you drink it from. Other wines can have certain elements that can be highlighted, or minimized, depending on the style of glassware. For example, a wine with high alcohol will often show better from a glass that is wide and generously sized. This allows the alcohol that evaporates from the surface of the wine to dissipate a bit before hitting your nose, and as we know, we really do taste mostly with our noses.

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This one is a bit tricky, but here goes. Yes, and no. Some wines are really very simple and your experience with them will vary little no matter what glass you drink it from.

Other wines can have certain elements that can be highlighted, or minimized, depending on the style of glassware. For example, a wine with high alcohol will often show better from a glass that is wide and generously sized. This allows the alcohol that evaporates from the surface of the wine to dissipate a bit before hitting your nose, and as we know, we really do taste mostly with our noses.

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We've tackled a bunch of questions, but there's always more - ask away in the comments...

Related Articles:

• Top Wine Trends of 2011 (Part 1)

• 5 More Frequently Asked Wine Questions

• 10 Common Wine Questions

 

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Comments

[Sedimentblog]

10:41 AM on 03/01/2011

One rule of glassware: Eschew the wretched little Paris goblet, that hideous little tennis ball of a
glass condemned by George Reidel himself as “the enemy of wine”. A glass too thick and too
small to enhance the flavour, too shallow and open to enhance the bouquet, and too mimsy to
suggest generosity.

[JennaS]

09:53 AM on 03/01/2011

The best way to learn about wine...is to keep trying them and take notes about what you like and didn't like about a particular wine. Go to the wine country and have fun or have a wine tasting party at home. The more you taste wine...then more you will understand. Go to your local vineyard or winemaker and ask questions. I often go to Napa Valley or Long Island (the two closest to family) and I try a variety of wines and know immediately what I like and don't like. Don't take this too seriously...enjoy and have fun!

[Dennis7450]

09:46 AM on 03/01/2011

Snooth,
I used to write a wine column and always told people what you are telling them here, that if YOU like the wine, it's good. Period. So, bravo. I like the way you simplify the wine experience so it's approachable by everyone. Too many people get intimidated by wine, and it shouldn't be that way. Wine is to be enjoyed. Period. If it's not enjoyed, then no matter what it cost, it's worthless.

[JerseyHooligan]

07:24 AM on 03/01/2011

i loved the people at a restaurant who order the "pink wine" (white zin) then asked to taste it like they knew what they were talking about... ahh rubes

[lastpost]

06:31 AM on 03/01/2011

“questions about wine”.
Recent efforts have focused on microscopic examination of wines, to ensure that the label chimes with the bottle’s contents. If it requires that level of scientific sophistication to detect difference. Why would someone pay more for one in preference to its replacement?

[xstevejx]

09:51 PM on 02/28/2011

The tongue receptor 'map' (#2) is made-up nonsense. All taste buds are able to distinguish the same tastes equally.

[phantom power]

11:41 AM on 03/01/2011

agreed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/health/11real.html?_r=2

[Beth Grierson]

05:20 PM on 03/01/2011

But that article also references a study suggesting that different areas of the tongue DO have different sensitivity to different flavors: http://tinyurl.com/6csof9m

The "receptor map" may be rubbish, but I don't think that link really proves that basic concept (that where wine/food hits your tongue can impact how you perceive its taste) is bogus.

Or are there other studies you're thinking of?

[xstevejx]

05:51 PM on 03/01/2011

What's annoying is the text for that slide only said some CULINARY people disagree about the receptor map (leaving out the SCIENTISTS that say it's not true).

[chaiwallah]

09:29 PM on 02/28/2011

Good ole Carlo Rossi----my favorite at $15 for a 4 liter jug. And a lower price in Calif.

[Sergeant]

09:27 PM on 02/28/2011

Question is, does the box matter.

[KeepLeft]

08:23 PM on 02/28/2011

as long as the glass is at LEAST half full, who cares?

[kingofthenet]

08:04 PM on 02/28/2011

Try New York 'Lake Country Red' $12 a GALLON, VERY Nice general purpose red

[GonzoFactor]

08:00 PM on 02/28/2011

Does the glass make a difference? Yes. It's a little more classy than drinking from the bottle. Usually.

[hector74elp]

07:45 PM on 02/28/2011

I always buy 2 bottles of wine as a rule. And it is always of the inexpensive or moderately expensive stuff. One is of a brand of a wine that for the most part always taste good for me and 2nd bottle is something brand new that I've never tasted before. Sometimes the new stuff will make it in the rotation and I'll buy again and sometimes it wont.

[Viewfromaway]

07:43 PM on 02/28/2011

For Myself, I (biased) prefer Niagara wines. If you visit try Hidden bench, but be prepared to wait a year or so.

[peegan]

07:34 PM on 02/28/2011

Two fingers of a good bourbon is my preference. And the only thing I ask of the glass is it actually be glass.

[no exit]

06:51 PM on 02/28/2011

As long as it doesn't taste like shoe polish or gummy bears, I'll probably like it. My only rule is red in the winter and white in the summer. It's like art...y'betcha!