What Is The Purpose Of Stemless Wine Glasses?
A stemless wine glass is the current trend in the more modern setting. The shape of the bowl may be the same grape in stemmed glasses. They also come with grape varietal shapes for better drinking experiences.
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Why use a stemless wine glass?
The stemless wine glass is basically the same as the stemmed wine glass, just without the stem and the foot. One writer even dubbed this as the younger sibling of the stemmed wine glass. However, this very thing that is missing in the stemless wine glass may be the deciding factor when one buys a wine glass.
Here are a few factors you might want to consider when buying a stemless wine glass.
Temperature
Wine temperature is one of the most important aspects in enjoying our wine experience. This is compromised in a stemless wine glass since holding the stemless wine glass directly on the bowl inadvertently warms the wine with our hand. The wine that is warmer than necessary lets the alcohol in your wine evaporate faster. This results in a less pleasant wine experience as the aroma and flavors are masked by the evaporating alcohol.
Probably the best wines to serve in a stemless glass are red wines because they are the best drunk warmer than the other drinks. So, if you just removed it from your wine fridge and it's very cold, holding the stemless glass will help your wine reach the right serving temperature.
Here’s the best temperature to serve your wine
- Sparkling wines like champagne should be served ice cold (38-50oF or 3.3-10oC)
- Delicate white wines and rosé wines should be served fridge-cold (44-57oF or 6.6-13.8oC)
- Rich white wines should be served fridge-cold (45-55oF or 7.2-12.7oC)
- Light red wines should be served cool (53-63oF or 11.6-17.2oC)
- Rich red should be served slightly cool (44-57oF or 17.2-20.5oC)
To solve the issue of warming the wine, leave the wine glass on the table when you are not drinking. Of course, when you’re trying to network while sipping your wine then putting the wine glass on the table is not an option.
Recommendation: Buy a stemless wine glass if you love serving red wines
Flavor and Aroma
As mentioned earlier, a higher temperature makes the alcohol in the wine evaporate faster. The evaporating ethanol masks the aroma and flavors of the wine. Since temperature plays a huge role in this, the flavor and aroma may be dependent on how we handle the glass, whether we prefer holding it or putting in on the table or counter.
Another reason why a stemless glass may have a negative effect on wine is that it is less practical when swirling. The stem gives the wine glass more mobility range than a stemless glass.
Compared to a wine tumbler, the stemless wine glass is still the better choice - it is more sleek and elegant with a not very “everyday” vibe on it compared to a wine tumbler.
Recommendation: Buy a stemless self-aerating wine glass.
Portion
Wine glass size can entice you to unknowingly drink more wine than you intend to. When your favorite Bordeaux is served in a 20-ounce Bordeaux glass, you end up drinking more than when it is served in a 16-oz glass. The 4-ounce difference may not be that pronounced and since the level of wine in the glass looks the same, you unknowingly drink more from the 20-ounce glass.
However, when using a stemless glass, it is best to serve smaller portions to prevent it from getting too warm in your hand. So, you can have two 4-ounce servings and still within your alcohol limit than have two 6-ounce servings in a stemmed glass. Besides, it looks sleeker than using the regular wine tumblers that are getting a fad now.
Recommendation: Choose a wine glass that is below 20 ounces
Convenience
When going to picnics or hosting a casual outdoor party, stemless wine glasses are your better choice. You have sleek glasses to serve your wine that are easy to pack and carry outdoors. These casual settings do not have to worry much about accidentally knocking over a stemmed glass which is obviously less stable compared to a stemmed wine glass.
It is also most convenient to use in the modern bar and restaurant settings and is a huge hit among the millennials. It is also less intimidating to those new in drinking wine.
It does not need a bigger storage area than a stemmed wine glass. The stem alone can occupy the same space a stemless glass can have. Aside from being less bulky, the stemless glasses also are sturdier compared to stemmed glasses since the stem is usually the easiest part to break.
Stemless glasses can also be easily glammed up for some DIY projects and personalized gifts.
Etiquette
There is not much to worry about etiquette when holding a stemless glass that is why it is more convenient especially to young adults who are not yet seasoned in the social limelight.
However, for more formal settings, stemmed wine glasses are more acceptable.
Recommendation: Reserve a good number of stemmed wine glasses you can use when the occasion arises if you prefer to use stemless wine glasses.
Conclusion
Should you buy a wine glass? It has a place in your cabinet and definitely on your table. Since it can be stacked easily, you can stock on them for large crowd parties you love to host. Reserve your stemmed wine glasses to formal dinner settings and celebrations to lessen the hassle of cleaning. You know cleaning a party is a big drag and you won’t want to drag it longer than is necessary.
In the end, after all the arguments, the bottom line is how a wine glass, whether it is stemless or stemmed, makes the user comfortable. Some can drink wine from a red solo cup or even the bottle itself, but wine snobs may not so much as touch a bottle of wine without a stemmed, grape-varietal specific wine glass. Don’t let the opinion of a wine snob control you unless he’d give you a bottle of fine wine every time he comments on your choice of the wine glass. If you buy the wine, then definitely, you have the choice to use what you feel comfortable with.
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