Wine Glasses - A History

They may have traced wine making back to 6,000 B.C., but vessels to hold the wine were invented long before. The first trace of wine was found in a traditional clay cup, which was the material of choice up until the Industrial Revolution. One might ask why that is, well I will tell you. It is because glass was so hard to make and so time consuming that it was as precious as gold or silver until then. After that, wine glasses were very easy to come by, even the average worker could afford their own set. But before all that, baked clay pottery, gourds made of leather, and even animal horns were used by the man of few means and those were only used when decorum was called for, otherwise it was drinking straight from the container that stored the wine.

In 50 A.D., Pliny the Elder encouraged glass as the best container for drinking wine from, but that feat was no easy task as glass was one of the most valuable and expensive materials of that time. The ancient technology to make the glass was far too difficult and expensive to make wine glasses feasible. The earliest version of the wine glass that was made up of a stem, bowl and foot dates as late as the 15th century. Considering that it was not until the early 20th century that making glass was revolutionized, you can understand how it would have been just as precious as gold or silver and just as expensive!

The Industrial Revolution provided the means to mass produce glass. Suddenly the working class could afford a set of wine glasses. Wine glasses were sold in sets of a dozen. Other glass products sold in sets and made affordable were wine goblets, sherry glasses and champagne flutes. Suddenly, like Pliny the Elder wanted, glass was the preferred material for drinking wine. People could see the beautiful color of the wine through the wine glasses and experience the full body for the first time. A new appreciation was born for wine and the popularity of it grew because of the new wine glasses.

Wine glasses are now shaped specifically for each wine color in order to enjoy the full experience of drinking wine. Each shape enhances the bouquet of the wine whether it be red or white and also allows for the wine to fall on the part of the palette where one will get the most enjoyment out of it. The shape of the glass is very important and has been scientifically researched, especially by Claus Josef Riedel, who's advances in the wine glass industry has put his glasses far above the competitor's.

Wine Glasses

The red wine glass has a large bowl which allows the wine to oxygenate and the bouquet to be released. This allows for the enjoyment of the bold flavor of reds. The wide rim also allows you to sip the wine and allows your nose to breathe in the bouquet at the same time for maximum enjoyment. The sipping of red wine is important because it allows for the wine to fall on the front part of the palette, the best place for tasting red wine. There are even stemless wine glasses that are now the height of class. Riedel wine glasses are famous for their stemless glasses.

The white wine glass has a much taller, narrower bowl and rim. The narrowness of the white wine glass requires you to tip your head back when drinking so that the wine falls on the back of the palette. White wine should also be served chilled, hence the stem on the glass should be held at all times while drinking so as not to warm the wine by the warmth of your hands.  Make sure you purchase your wine glasses set as a set of white or red ones, not mixed together, unless there are even amounts of both types in the set.

This video is too cool!  See how hand crafted wine glasses or glassware in general is made.