Cigar Weekly

KC135gaspsr · 06-09-2003, 02:11 PM

Since I have moved my house has not cought up with me yet. I am having to make due with the bare essentials. (yes, that includes my humidors) I was trying to drink some merlot last night and the only thing I had to drink it out of was a beer pilsner. I was amazed at how much difference the wrong glass can make on a drink. Your thoughts? And while we are on the subject what other essentials must you have wile drinking a specific beverage? Like a frosted mug and a lime wedge for a corona.

jazznut · 06-09-2003, 03:13 PM

Sipping merlot from a pilsner glass is sort of like trying to lick sugar from a stone. I'm not sure which kind of merlot you were drinking (perhaps a ripe and rich Californian?), but if it was fairly full-bodied (as opposed to some of the light and fresh northern Italian varieties), then the ideal vessel would be a large-bowled glass, in order to allow the secondary aromas full swing. Your born-of-necessity experiment probably overly emphasized the bitter and alcoholic aspects of the wine rather than the fruitiness and other scents. This is a very complex subject. But as you have discovered, shape is important! I believe there are other threads on these forums discussing this very matter. Search them out!

ferdelance · 06-09-2003, 05:45 PM

interesting, i drink my wines from a short straight glass, sort of the italian way.

KC135gaspsr · 06-09-2003, 06:36 PM

I was sure there would be numerous informative threads on this subject. Since I recently subscribed to this thread I meerly hoped to entice a discussion on prefered ways to drink ones favorite drink. I however applaud you Jazz on you Holmsish deduction that I was drinking a California Red. I would thank anyone to share with me.

MetsFan · 06-09-2003, 06:39 PM

I never really believed the glass could impact the taste of the wine until some friends gave us some Riedel stemware for Christmas one year. We got 2 zin glass and 2 bordeaux glasses. We decided to crack open a bottle of wine and the 4 of us drank it. About midway through the first glass, we switched glasses. The difference was amazing.

grtrx · 06-09-2003, 06:55 PM

there is a reason why the french use the shapes they use - like a flute for champagen and a large bowl gladd for the big reds.

a pilsner for pilsner is the only way to go. enhlish beers taste best in those nice english beer glasses.

I'm wondering what % of american merlot consumption is californian? The french blend their wines.

And ferdelance, quaffing wines, from the glasses you describe works great with simple wines - nothing wrong with simple.

jazznut · 06-09-2003, 07:37 PM

I'm with grtrx on the beer business. Those tall slims help keep a Pilsner cool and fresh while emphasizing the hoppiness. And stout glasses suit Ales to a tee. I have a couple of Scottish malt liquor ones with a lower bowl portion which almost closes in on itself before opening up at the sides. This is great for retaining flavour and allowing sweetness to emerge at the rim.
I prefer my white table wines to have a palate-cleansing acidic backbone. Rieslings, especially from Alsace and Germany, are my favourites. These do best in a narrower glass that highlights the crispness.
Red wines are slightly more problematic. Generally, I like younger reds in broader, Burgundy-style glassware and older, more 'fragile' reds in standard-shaped goblets. It all boils down to the rate of aeration, as a larger glass will enable wine to oxidize more rapidly.
Another twist involves the rim design. A slightly inward-canted rim will favour dryish acidity and tannins, whereas a lip that curls a little outward will increase the apparent fruity sweetness.
I drink a fair amount of Scotch, and have found that a grappa glass does justice to most. The 'Glenmorangie' taster has gentler sides and is equally suitable. I also like its glass cover lid. However, I usually pour cask-strength whiskies into a larger wine goblet. In this case, I always have a tiny pitcher of pure still water at my side and 'douse' the whisky until I feel it's at its best.

Rocket Launcher · 06-10-2003, 05:16 AM

Glass ware is one of the most common mistakes people make when drinking wine.

I only serve wine when we entertain. My favorite guests are the ones that claim they don't drink wine that often. Perfect victims.

Our evening usually starts with a crisp white. to a cool light red table wine, and then on to a grand red with dinner (we usually serve some sort of meat when we have guests over, a Texas thing).

That means I will typically use 3 types of wine glassesand , 1 or 2 decanters.

The outcome is always the same. They can't believe how much they enjoy wine, they cant believe what the correct temprature can do for the wine, and they are really surprised how much wine they can consume and feel like it was the perfect compliment to the evening (instead of the token glass).

Now, my typical wine budget is $6 to $12 a bottle. When carefully selected and presented right, cheap wine can have better results than serving a $50 bottle of wine at the wrong temperature and in poorly selected glassware.

I do own some Riedels, but have various other sets I have gathered from here and there. There are some great inexpensive wine glasses out there, you have to just make some good decisions about the types.

ferdelance · 06-10-2003, 06:14 AM

forget the glasses , give give me a bottle.

, seriously though when i eat a meal and have a wine i usually drink it from a glass, something i picked up while cruising around Europe, you stop at a farm and that is how you would be served wine, i guess, i will just always have that poor farm mentality.

, so if you come to visit me you will get rum not wine, but if you do get wine you'll have to drink it from a straight glass.

x5andr6 · 06-10-2003, 09:40 AM

I'm with you FdL!! I lived in Italy for about 10 years of my life and most Italians will serve you wine in a straight glass in their homes and even some local, Mom and Pop restaurants!

However, my wife and I love wine and we've collected 6 different types of wine glasses over the past few years. The glass does make a difference!

06-09-2003, 02:11 PM	#1
KC135gaspsr Starting Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Greensboro, NC. Posts: 78	The wrong glass for drinking Since I have moved my house has not cought up with me yet. I am having to make due with the bare essentials. (yes, that includes my humidors) I was trying to drink some merlot last night and the only thing I had to drink it out of was a beer pilsner. I was amazed at how much difference the wrong glass can make on a drink. Your thoughts? And while we are on the subject what other essentials must you have wile drinking a specific beverage? Like a frosted mug and a lime wedge for a corona.

06-09-2003, 03:13 PM	#2
jazznut Managing Editor Emeritus Herf God Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 26,082	Sipping merlot from a pilsner glass is sort of like trying to lick sugar from a stone. I'm not sure which kind of merlot you were drinking (perhaps a ripe and rich Californian?), but if it was fairly full-bodied (as opposed to some of the light and fresh northern Italian varieties), then the ideal vessel would be a large-bowled glass, in order to allow the secondary aromas full swing. Your born-of-necessity experiment probably overly emphasized the bitter and alcoholic aspects of the wine rather than the fruitiness and other scents. This is a very complex subject. But as you have discovered, shape is important! I believe there are other threads on these forums discussing this very matter. Search them out! __________________ My whisky adventure began at the age of nine. Good things DO take time!

06-09-2003, 05:45 PM	#3
ferdelance Herf Meister Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: outside Possum Kingdom SC Posts: 6,551	interesting, i drink my wines from a short straight glass, sort of the italian way. __________________ Retired Knight Errant. "Lifes too short to drink bad coffee"

06-09-2003, 06:55 PM	#6
grtrx Contributing Editor Herf God Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 44,579	there is a reason why the french use the shapes they use - like a flute for champagen and a large bowl gladd for the big reds. a pilsner for pilsner is the only way to go. enhlish beers taste best in those nice english beer glasses. I'm wondering what % of american merlot consumption is californian? The french blend their wines. And ferdelance, quaffing wines, from the glasses you describe works great with simple wines - nothing wrong with simple. __________________ "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill "A sick thought can devour the body's flesh more than fever or consumption." - Guy de Maupassant

06-09-2003, 07:37 PM	#7
jazznut Managing Editor Emeritus Herf God Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 26,082	I'm with grtrx on the beer business. Those tall slims help keep a Pilsner cool and fresh while emphasizing the hoppiness. And stout glasses suit Ales to a tee. I have a couple of Scottish malt liquor ones with a lower bowl portion which almost closes in on itself before opening up at the sides. This is great for retaining flavour and allowing sweetness to emerge at the rim. I prefer my white table wines to have a palate-cleansing acidic backbone. Rieslings, especially from Alsace and Germany, are my favourites. These do best in a narrower glass that highlights the crispness. Red wines are slightly more problematic. Generally, I like younger reds in broader, Burgundy-style glassware and older, more 'fragile' reds in standard-shaped goblets. It all boils down to the rate of aeration, as a larger glass will enable wine to oxidize more rapidly. Another twist involves the rim design. A slightly inward-canted rim will favour dryish acidity and tannins, whereas a lip that curls a little outward will increase the apparent fruity sweetness. I drink a fair amount of Scotch, and have found that a grappa glass does justice to most. The 'Glenmorangie' taster has gentler sides and is equally suitable. I also like its glass cover lid. However, I usually pour cask-strength whiskies into a larger wine goblet. In this case, I always have a tiny pitcher of pure still water at my side and 'douse' the whisky until I feel it's at its best. __________________ My whisky adventure began at the age of nine. Good things DO take time!

06-09-2003, 06:36 PM	#4
KC135gaspsr Starting Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Greensboro, NC. Posts: 78	I was sure there would be numerous informative threads on this subject. Since I recently subscribed to this thread I meerly hoped to entice a discussion on prefered ways to drink ones favorite drink. I however applaud you Jazz on you Holmsish deduction that I was drinking a California Red. I would thank anyone to share with me.

06-09-2003, 06:39 PM	#5
MetsFan Herf God Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 12,223	I never really believed the glass could impact the taste of the wine until some friends gave us some Riedel stemware for Christmas one year. We got 2 zin glass and 2 bordeaux glasses. We decided to crack open a bottle of wine and the 4 of us drank it. About midway through the first glass, we switched glasses. The difference was amazing.

06-10-2003, 05:16 AM	#8
Rocket Launcher Starting Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 54	Glass ware is one of the most common mistakes people make when drinking wine. I only serve wine when we entertain. My favorite guests are the ones that claim they don't drink wine that often. Perfect victims. Our evening usually starts with a crisp white. to a cool light red table wine, and then on to a grand red with dinner (we usually serve some sort of meat when we have guests over, a Texas thing). That means I will typically use 3 types of wine glassesand , 1 or 2 decanters. The outcome is always the same. They can't believe how much they enjoy wine, they cant believe what the correct temprature can do for the wine, and they are really surprised how much wine they can consume and feel like it was the perfect compliment to the evening (instead of the token glass). Now, my typical wine budget is $6 to $12 a bottle. When carefully selected and presented right, cheap wine can have better results than serving a $50 bottle of wine at the wrong temperature and in poorly selected glassware. I do own some Riedels, but have various other sets I have gathered from here and there. There are some great inexpensive wine glasses out there, you have to just make some good decisions about the types.

06-10-2003, 06:14 AM	#9
ferdelance Herf Meister Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: outside Possum Kingdom SC Posts: 6,551	forget the glasses , give give me a bottle. , seriously though when i eat a meal and have a wine i usually drink it from a glass, something i picked up while cruising around Europe, you stop at a farm and that is how you would be served wine, i guess, i will just always have that poor farm mentality. , so if you come to visit me you will get rum not wine, but if you do get wine you'll have to drink it from a straight glass. __________________ Retired Knight Errant. "Lifes too short to drink bad coffee"

06-10-2003, 09:40 AM	#10
x5andr6 Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Lake Ridge, VA Italy Posts: 596	I'm with you FdL!! I lived in Italy for about 10 years of my life and most Italians will serve you wine in a straight glass in their homes and even some local, Mom and Pop restaurants! However, my wife and I love wine and we've collected 6 different types of wine glasses over the past few years. The glass does make a difference!