To those of us who drink wine for pleasure, tasting a wine is an emotional experience, not a scientific experiment. That is why our attitude toward a wine is not determined entirely by its inherent qualities, but by the context of our encounter. Imagine having a bad fight with a loved one over a glass of an exquisite Zinn. Chances are that the events will taint your experience of the wine, and you might pass on it next time you see it in the shop or on the menu. In the same (though less traumatic) way the glassware in which a wine is served may influence one’s experience. Making sure that wine is served in an appropriate glass is not a matter of mere snobbery. Glasses’ shapes and materials are not arbitrary – they are designed to enhance wine’s qualities. Still, unless you are a wine fanatic with a lofty budget and enough storage space, you need not go to the extreme and end up with 20 sets of wine glasses. But if you want to cover the basics, here are a few hints:

The tulip shaped glass is well suited for young white wines, which are fruity and fresh. The slight flare at the rim of the glass requires you to put your tongue slightly forward, so that you first taste the wine with the tip of your tongue, which tastes the sweetness (or freshness) of the wine. Just after that, the wine spills to the sides of the tongue, where the taste buds for salty and sour are located. Serve young white wines and roses.

The apple-shaped glass that grows narrower to the top is the universal wine glass, most appropriate for older, more complex whites. When drinking from this glass, you will taste the bitter and sour nuances a tad sooner than the sweetness. The shape of this glass allows the aromas of wine to hover just above the substance. Serve Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Traminer.

The classic red wine glass is similar to that for aged white wines, though it is typically taller and wider. The idea is the same – to delay the sweet notes and savour the bitter, acidic ones first. Serve young, not particularly demanding everyday reds.

The Bordeaux glass is larger, befitting older, full-bodied reds. It is wider at the bottom and elongated to the top, allowing the aromas to slowly float up, so that you can savour the complex bouquet. Serve aged Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mavrud.

The Burgundy wine glass is designed for more demanding reds that need a spherical glass to release their aromas as quickly as possible and concentrate them toward the narrow rim. Serve reds from Burgundy as well as Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.

The champagne glass is designed to highlight the bubbles floating upward. The finer the bubbles and the longer they are release, the better the champagne’s quality. This is the one glass you can fill almost to the rim, since champagne does not need swirling.

The dessert wine glass is smaller than the typical wine glasses because dessert wines are much sweeter and generally consumed in tiny sips.

Now that you have the set to spoil your taste buds and amaze your friends, here are a few tips on how to care for it.
- Store glasses upright and in a well-ventilated place. Crystal glasses are more porous than other glassware. They absorb tastes and odours more easily in a well ventilated place.

- Wash glasses with the hottest water possible and use very little detergent

- Dry glasses immediately with a lint-free cloth.

- Rinse glasses prior to serving, using either distilled water (okay, we got carried away) or with the wine you’re about to serve.