Basic Wine Glass Shapes

          A      B          C          D          E        F

A - Flute: Used for Champagne and other Sparkling Wines

B - Classic Tulip: Good for all Red, White and Rosé Wines

C - ISO Glass: Developed by the International Standards Organization as a uniform shaped glass for the purpose of tasting wines

D - Classic Red: Large bowl allows red wines more surface area

E - Paris Goblet: The all-purchase glass used by restaurants that do not invest their resources into developing a serious wine program

F - Copita: Traditional Sherry Glass; also a good glass to use when serving Port, Madeira or other fortified wines

Just like a young bride to be, when looking a silver cutlery needed for her new home, she finds herself amazed at the myriad of specialized utility pieces available to accessorize her table service.

So as it goes for wine glasses.   There are many, many wine glass shapes, styles and colors out on the market, from the traditional, colored-stemmed glasses used along the Rhine River to the cut glass goblets of Eastern Europe.

There are even manufacturers that create specific glasses for each and every wine grape out there, and they have all sorts of scientific research to prove their assertion that each specialized shape is a necessity.

Bottom Line: Wine is a geeky hobby that can allow tasters to invest as much, or as little money as they see fit.

While we do not dispute the evidence showing that there is a discernible difference at higher levels, we do feel that for the majority of wine lovers the above glass shapes are more than adequate for wine tasting.