News
from the Drinks
Business
has highlighted the fact that Champagne Houses are: “moving
away from using traditional flutes for their fizz in favour of white
wine glasses”, according
to glassware manufacturer Georg
Riedel.
“The
Champenois are starting to serve their sparklers in white wine
glasses as the larger surface areas give more aromas, complexity and
a creamier texture.”
Flutes
are too narrow and don’t allow the aroma and richness of the
Champagne to shine as there isn’t enough air space.
Ideally,
a flute should only be half full, or, better still, a third full in
order to release a Champagne’s aromatic potential.
In
response to demand, Riedel has started making bespoke glasses for
several Champagne houses and has developed a new sparkling wine glass
more akin to a white wine glass.”
Champagne
glasses seem to have suffered from an identity crisis over the years.
The Champagne coupe was popular in the 1830s when sweeter Champagnes
were all the rage.
Legend has it that the shape of the Champagne
coupe was modelled on the breast of Marie Antoinette but there are
claims it was invented in England in 1663.
These wide and shallow
glasses came back into the fashion in the 1960s
and 70s but fell out of favour as the Champagne went lifeless in a
few minutes as the fizz went flat.
The Drinks Business
reported that Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger has stressed the need for
Champagne to retain the flute to differentiate the sparkling product
from still wine. He referred to a battle with 'marketers' who, he
said, “want us to drink
Champagne in a wine glass.”
A
report
in 2009 by Dr Gerard Liger-Belair of Reims University, France
discovered that champagne
bubbles are the key to its flavour
and tulip glasses or white wine glasses with a narrower rim than the
bowl are reckoned to the better than coupes and flutes as they trap
the aroma and don't lose the bubbles as quickly.
There are approximately 49 million bubbles in a bottle of Champagne and I intend to enjoy each and every one of them! What do you think Champagne should be served in?
8 comments:
I think that's a splendid idea. I like having champagne in many different sized glasses... although I love the open style... they do unfizz rather quickly. My personal favorite is an early 19th c flute I have... remarkably small compared to today's glasses.
That's interesting Deana - perhaps as the flute is small thereis less time for the bubbles to disappear between sips?
the news is that most champagnes are not better than spumantes but just cost more, the glass thing agree
Good point :-)
this morning had three glasses of gancia sweet martini, to be honest not bad , 3 notes
I hadn't heard of Gancia so I checked it out - thought you would like what I found, especially as you like sparkling wine so much :-)
Apparently Gancia was founded in 1850 in the Piemonte region of Italy, and was a pioneer in creating the first Italian sparkling wine!
i dont normally buy it but my partner got it on sale at the supermarket, was quite nice to be honest. thanks
8i think most wine people wouldnt consider it because of its price but it was ok
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