Wine Glasses vs. Champagne Flutes – What’s better?

I find the ‘should I drink sparkling wine out of a flute glass or wine glass’ discussion very interesting. For many years the professionals have been saying that it’s best to drink bubbles from a normal wine glass, yet their words have definitely not spread, as flutes are still definitely king. Perhaps everyone is nostalgic over the champagne flute or we’re simply unwilling to change our ways. But it’s definitely obvious when I lunch with the girls in Perth that restaurants feel that ‘we must have flutes’ when buying bubbles even though I say wine glasses are fine.

To be honest, I love my flutes. Mr. Spittoon bought me the most gorgeous pair of Swarovski Crystal flutes when we lived in Dubai as a present. These glasses are my babies. They live in their foam padded box and have travelled with us from Dubai to New Zealand and then to Perth. My Riedel flutes come in at a close second and are more accessible/I’m not too worried if I had to replace them due to my tipsy nature after all those bubbles go to my head.

So what’s the deal with sparkling wine being better out of a normal wine glass you ask? Let’s take a look…

Why use a champagne flute?

The glass not only looks sexy and sleek but it makes that super enjoyable bubbly elixir look great too. The tall glass shape stops the bubbles from dissipating so quickly and even though some of us hate to admit it, we do like the aesthetics of a glass of bubbly. Plus, seriously, what women doesn’t feel sexy at a party walking around with a flute of bubbles in her hand, it gives the aura off that you’re sophisticated but like to have fun and let down your hair and bubbly wine simply screams, let’s celebrate!

There’s also that distinctive ‘nose tickle’ that you get with a flute. The bubbles literally tingle your nostrils and add to the whole sensory experience of a champagne, prosecco, cava or whatever tipple is your sparkling wine of choice.

Why drink sparkling wine from a normal wine glass?

So the bubbles may not last as long, but the wider glass will enhance the aromas of the wine, meaning you can get a more all-round experience. Some of the cheaper bottles of bubbles you may not want to smell, and instead just chug back however with a decent sparkling wine or champagne it is nice to see what your schnoz can get a whiff of.

The extra surface area will allow more oxygen to the wine, giving you a chance to get to know the wine that little bit more however you may end up with a semi-flat wine near the bottom of your glass. That tall slimness of a flute will sustain that bubbly carbonation a lot longer.

What I use…

To be honest, I’m easy. I love my flutes for that way they make me and the wine feel. However if a restaurant wants to give us both white wine glasses and flutes because we’ve ordered a bottle of each – well I’ll definitely tell them not to make more dishes and just stick with the white wine glasses. At home, if we’re opening a good bottle of wine, being the wine geek that I am, I will make sure to have a slurp out of both style glasses, just so I can see the difference and write my tasting note.

If we’re indulging in an everyday drinking wine, then I’ll definitely just stick to the flute to prolong the bubbles and keep it colder for longer.

But… what I am really hoping for (hint, hint family and friends reading this who know I have a birthday coming up) I am dying to get my hands on some champagne coupe glasses. These vintage ‘bowl/saucer’ glasses for champagne were supposedly shaped off the left breast of Marie Antoinette and I LOVE THEM (the glasses that is)! I’ve drunk Cava out of them in Barcelona and I don’t even care if the bubbles are gone in seconds, they are the ultimate sexy bubbles glass! You just have to be careful with the coupe that you hold it by its shortish stem and resist the urge to cup it – you don’t want to be drinking warm champagne after all!
Glass images sourced from RiedelGlass.com.au