In less than two days, Valentine's will be here. Hopefully, you've bought the wine and possibly the champagne. (We're keeping our fingers crossed that you've stayed away from the White Zinfandel.) But, what is the best way to drink wine? Straight out of the bottle is not the right answer.
The other week, Eating Our Words told you about the best corkscrew and preserving techniques for wine. This week, it's all about glasses. We know what you're thinking. You're just going to run to Target and get some cheap wine glasses. What's the difference?
Well, problem No. 1, wine glasses break. We've actually broken three wine glasses in the last two weeks. You may not be as clumsy as we are, but they'll still break. So, let's say you buy your set of four cheap wine glasses from Target. Two of them break. Then, you go back to Target to replace them and find they don't have the same ones. The result: You have a cabinet full of mismatched wine glasses. That's not okay unless you're still in college.
Problem No. 2, wine doesn't taste the same in every wine glass.
Good wine glasses need a stem, a cut rim and enough room, and they need to curve back at the top. But, what about those popular stem-less wine glasses, you ask? They don't break or spill as easily, but they aren't good for drinking wine. Sorry. The heat from your hand will compromise the flavor of the wine, and you'll get fingerprints everywhere.
Wine glasses should also be about 12 ounces to leave enough room for flavor development. Please don't fill your wine glasses all the way to the top. If you want to chug wine, buy a bottle of Boone's Farm and forget the glass. Pour about four to five ounces in the glass to really enjoy it.
If you don't believe us, try a taste comparison. Drink the same wine out of a couple of different glasses and see what you find. We're curious.
