[wine] Wine Stems - four is enough, maybe 3.

FYI/FYE My list and MNSHO. 1. Overature Red 2. Burgundy/Pinot 3. Overature sparkling 4. OR Pinot 5. Overature Magnum/Shiraz/Brdx 6. Scotch whiskey 7. Extreme Cab 8. Riesling 9. Dessert. 1. works for almost everything. really need 2 (and 4) for brgndy/pinot. champagne/sparkling is better out of 3. After that, it depends on your tastes. 5 will cut the heat on todays monsters. 6 makes the biggest difference of any on the list. 7 will dial back the oak. Four - it's your magic number for wineglasses Jon BonnéSunday, February 15, 2009 Dessert glass Bordeaux-style glass Burgundy glass Champagne flute More... "So," asked one of my fellow scribes the other day, "how many types of wineglass do you need?" Not the koan I'd prefer to ponder on a Tuesday morning, but a question I couldn't duck. Wineglasses are like jewelry. A couple pieces might feel essential; beyond that is fetishism. Not that there's anything wrong with fetishism. But fear of using the wrong wineglass strikes far deeper than choosing the wrong cuff link. The glassmakers of today would love for us to believe that there is a glass tuned to every grape. They've endeavored to make it so. If you've ever heard a member of the Riedel family describe the 200-odd taste trials conducted to home in on the perfect shape for a varietal, you conclude they take these projects very, very seriously. But do you need to stock your cabinets with them? Does a glass whose sole reason for existence is to glorify the nuances of Chianti serve a greater moral purpose? It's not an abstract question. Even top restaurants have a limited budget, limited storage space and a limited number of hands for buffing stemware. Some of us would be content with a single type of utility glass; others can afford to go full fetish. So I stared thoughtfully into my cabinet. What number fits the Goldilocks principle? Four. Like this: one white wineglass; two for reds, one each in the styles usually called Bordeaux and Burgundy; and drinker's choice - either a dessert glass or Champagne flute. If you can live without that last, down to three. What I'll call a white wineglass is slim enough to bring out the sharp lines in sharp wines like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling while not offending weightier fare. Many red wines do just fine in its care. These are the glasses I use for tasting at home and into which I fearlessly pour just about anything. If one is your lucky number, this is for you. Is there folly in choosing two red wineglasses? I'd argue trial and error has proven me right. The Bordeaux-style glass - narrower, tapering upwards - brings out the best in Cabernet and its robust pals. The wider-bowled Burgundy glass commends itself to all forms of Pinot Noir and makes friends with finicky specimens like Beaujolais, some Grenache and almost any delicate red wine. By one claim, the taller glass directs wine to the back of the tongue; the shorter to the front. This sort of thing inspires angry debates at glassware seminars. The now-discredited "tongue map" is inevitably referenced. But a roomful of lead crystal is nowhere to start a scientific, or pseudo-scientific, smackdown. What I've concluded: Bordeaux glasses better handle those wines with ample tannin and fruit, and highlight the wine's more powerful aromas; less wine surface is exposed to air, but the wine can be swirled more vigorously. Perhaps that helps. Burgundy glasses seem to concentrate earthier, more non-fruit aromas in the bowl and your nose - and so best show off lighter, more delicate wines. That said, Pinot Noir's increasingly oak-heavy, top-heavy, Cabernet-like style makes me wonder if the more head-pounding Pinots wouldn't feel at home in Bordeaux glasses. Research for another day. Now to our fourth pick. A Champagne glass might be obvious, but even at our house there's a split decision on how to serve fizzy stuff. Typically our table ends up with both a narrow flute and a white wineglass. The wider glass is mine; it allows the wine to breathe more and aromas to hover in the glass, though the bubbles vanish quicker. Those who love the bubbles themselves will prefer a flute. But Champagne is hard to offend. A wide Burgundy bowl brings out its true wine nature, scents of earth and yeast and mineral, and plays down the bubbles. Just avoid those bulbous coupes that have the imputed allure of Marie Antoinette's anatomy but no practical use except for cocktails. Option B is a dessert glass, preferably slightly tapered and flared up top, not so much for dessert wines as for the many other things you might drink. A well-designed dessert glass is remarkably versatile. Just to throw on one more dollop of confusion, there's the stem dilemma - a question that didn't need answering until glassmakers decided a few years back that the world needed the Lindsay Lohan of glassware. How you feel about that last sentence will probably dictate what'll make you happy. Wineglass shapes White wineglass: Relatively narrow and tapered, sometimes called a Chablis glass. Handles all manner of white wine and many lighter reds. Though some Chardonnay glasses are bulbous, most Chardonnays aren't nearly as abused by these as they often are by winemakers. Just avoid those universal tasting glasses, which have the unique ability to reduce any wine to mediocrity. Bordeaux-style glass: Shows off well-structured red wines, not just Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot but also much Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and most Spanish reds. Some softer interpretations (Cabernet Franc-based Chinon from the Loire, for instance) might fare as well in the Burgundy glass, depending on whether you want more fruit or fragrance. Burgundy glass: Sometimes called a balloon glass. Most Pinot Noir will find a home here, as will other earthy, medium-bodied wines. Also good for more stoic wines like Nebbiolo-based Barolo, though some prefer it in the narrower glass. Surprisingly good for Champagne. Champagne flute (Option A): Hard to beat for presentation or preserving bubbles. If you like serving cocktails in flutes, consider buying a second, less delicate set. Dessert glass (Option B): Stemware makers have devised a glass not only for sweet wines but for every manner of spirit. As an all-purpose compromise, look for a glass with a modest bowl and a flare toward the rim, like Riedel's Rheingau glass. I don't actually use it for Riesling, but it's helpful for everything from sherry to Cognac. Jon Bonnés The Chronicle's wine editor. E-mail him at jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/15/FDRL15OG3G.DTL This article appeared on page E - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *