Wine Glass Size - Big Glass

I'm going to really try to refrain from saying "Size does matter" with wine. Ooops Sorry.

Does wine taste better when you have it out of a bigger glass? The answer in my opinion depends. If the wine is good, a big glass will make it better - most of the time. I don't think you have to always get caught up in what is a Bordeaux glass specifically and so on, but a nice big well crafted Reidel Stem made for a Cabernet or other full bodied wine can really deliver. Deliver what? Big aromas that are released easier when drinking from a bigger stem.

Younger Bolder Red Wines

If there is one type or style of wine that benefits from a nice size glass it is bold young reds that have great body and aroma but maybe are also young and need the extra space in a big glass to stretch out and air - almost like a mini decanter. Even if you are someone who does not sit and smell a wine for 5 minutes before drinking it (ahem...that's me by the way), the aroma of a wine will effect the taste and your full capturing of the flavor. It just does. Try a good full body wine and pour it in to a little glass, you know the kind you'll get at a pizza restaurant or something and pour some into a nice size Cabernet Bordeaux glass. The wine will open up faster, give off stronger aroma and taste much better. Why not drink your best wines in stemware that gives you the best method of enjoyment?

Lighter Bodied Reds and Whites

I enjoy good wines with good sized glasses at low pours. That's just me and there are no rules. I don't even drink champagne out of flutes. I use white wine glasses. I like a big bowl, love to swirl and sniff so lighter bodied reds such as Chianti, Classic Style Pinot Noirs, Malbecs and others work fine for me in bigger stemware.
Full bodied Chardonnays can be big and bold with a large red style wine glass as well.

Not all wines benefit from more real estate in the stem for me. Older wines that past their peak and cheaper everyday bottles will only fade out faster or just taste worse than they would out of a little glass with a high pour!

These are mainly preferences by your truly and certainly more opinion than fact. There is very little about wine enjoyment that is totally based on fact. Still, do yourself a favor and drink your best wines out of a nice big glass and get your whole head in there!