Champagne and Sparkling Wine Glasses Buying Guide

Pop open the bubbly and start celebrating!  While a normal white wine glass  is perfectly acceptable for serving champagne  or sparkling wine  amongst friends, if you're looking to impress, you should consider investing in some champagne stemware.  While the sort of glass you purchase is largely a matter of personal choice, not all glasses are necessarily equal. Remember, it is a rule that bubbly cannot be called champagne unless it has been specifically produced in the Champagne region of France.  Unless you are obtaining your wine from this region, all other brands must be referred to as sparkling wine--this is a great way to ensure you are getting the real thing.  Read on to find out more about the different types of stemware available.

The Rules

• A proper wine or champagne glass must be made of suitable material.  To fully appreciate the colour of the beverage, the glass should be clear  and smooth, not frosted or metal.
• The bowl of the glass should be tall and slender, but if possible the base of the bowl should be wider than the glass mouth.  The wide base permits aromas to circulate, but the narrow mouth focuses the aromas toward your nose as you drink.  Furthermore, this style of glass prevents carbonation from escaping, preserving the fizzy quality of the Champagne.
• Wine glasses must have a stem.  Not only does holding your drink by the stem prevent getting fingerprints all over the bowl, but it preserves the temperature of the wine as your hands are not in such close contact with the beverage.

Types of Glasses

Flûte   A flûte is a stem glass with a tall and narrow bowl.  This design is useful for several reasons, but primarily it is useful for preserving the carbonation in your champagne, which is the most important part of this fizzy drink.	Coupe  or Saucer   This is the traditional way to serve champagne but in recent years, it been replaced by the flûte.  Reputed to be modelled after Marie Antoinette's breast, the large surface area of the coupe means champagne quickly becomes flat.  Additionally, the shape of the bowl does not help maintain a chilled temperature, so your drink will warm quickly.	Sparkling Wine Glasses  Sparkling wine glasses come in a variety of shapes and designs and are generally much more playful than a regular champagne glass, such as Alissia Melka-Teichroew's InsideOut glass  pictured above.  However, as many glasses allow the drink to fill the stem, they should be avoided when serving quality wine as the drink will warm too quickly.

Top Manufacturers

• Anchor Hocking Glassware 
• Ella Sabatini Natalia Flutes 
• Les Vinalies Sparkling Wine Glasses 
• Liberty Glassware 
• LSA Glassware 
• Montana Glassware 
• Riedel Stemware 
• Schott Zwiesel 
• Spiegelau Crystal Stemware 
• Tesco Drizzle 

Champagne Terminology

There are specific terms you need to know when it comes to types of champagne and the size of the bottles. Make sure you know them all before purchasing yours!

Flavours Extra Brut : The driest champagne. Brut : A frequently sold dry style. Sec : Slightly sweeter than the Brut. Demi Sec : Sweetest champagne on the market.

Bottles Mini/Quarter : 18.75cl = 1/4 bottle Half Bottle : 37.5cl = 1/2 bottle Bottle : 75cl = 1 bottle Magnum : 1.5l = 2 bottles Jeroboam : 3l = 4 bottles Methuselah Champagne Methuselah : 6l = 8 bottles Salmanazar Champagne Salmanazar : 9l = 12 bottles Balthazar Champagne Balthazar : 12l = 16 bottles Nebuchadnezzar : 15l = 20 bottles

 

Champagne Accessories

Now that you have your glasses, you are almost ready to serve! Here are a few other items you might need.

Fruit  Eating strawberries  with champagne or placing blueberries  in the glass will help to enhance the flavour and make it sweeter.	Ice Bucket  It's important to keep your champagne chilled while you are drinking. If you don't want to keep going back and forth to the kitchen, place an ice bucket next to you.	Champagne Stopper  After the cork has popped, it's near impossible to put it back on the bottle. If you aren't going to drink the entire bottle in one sitting, this is great to have on hand.	Cocktail Recipes  Combine champagne with other liqueur  or fruit juice  for an extra special cocktail. Make sure you have lots of different recipes for your guests to try!	Chocolate  Let's face it, you can mix chocolate with just about anything. Milk chocolate goes especially well with champagne as the sweetness will make it taste that much better. Cheers!

Related Guides

Wine Guide	White Wine Guide	Red Wine Guide	Analysing Wine from A to Z	Wine Classifications Deciphered

External Links

• Wikipedia.org: A basic article on the different types of Champagne glasses.
• Snopes.com: Were Champagne coupes really modelled after Marie Antoinette's breasts?
• Suite101.com: An article on selecting the proper Champagne glass.
• TheWineDoctor.com: Things to look for when purchasing wine glasses.