Red Wines
Red wine is very special in that it requires just the right amount of aeration prior to drinking to smooth the flavor and prepare the wine for drinking. Decanting is one way that you can bring out your reds’ best flavor. Decanting is simply another word for pouring the red wine from the bottle into another container. Many people never decant their reds, and rely on a good wine glass to give proper air to their reds. To truly take advantage of your red’s full smooth flavors, decanting is required for every bottle. A good decanter is considered a vital part of your wine glass collection and one of the basics you need to learn when researching wine online. Not using a decanter can limit the great taste and experience of wine drinking.
Decanters come in all shapes and sizes. I recommend the Riedel wine glasses and decanters. You can buy decanters that look like works of art, with feminine artistic curves. Or you can go more classical, and settle with a finely tuned, wide-brimmed vessel. Either option is acceptable as long as the red wine is allowed to aerate.
What wine glass should you pair up with your reds? The best wine glasses for reds are those that have a wide brim with a fully tapered round bottom. This allows you to swirl the wine and keep it aerated as you drink it. The wide brim allows maximum amount of air to enter the wine and smooth the often bitter flavor of reds. For Cabernets, a glass with a moderately-rounded base will work effectively. For Merlots and the darkest reds, the largest round taper possible should be utilized to maximize aeration.
Over time, you will collect many wine glasses. You may find that certain brands are better than others. As with anything else in the wine world, what appeals to you makes it a “fine wine” or a top-of-the-line wine glass.