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Glasses and bottles: each to his own
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| Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne. And tulip, goblet, balloon and flute. The bottles and glasses for wine form a fascinating world of colours and shapes. Here is a useful guide for learning which ones are the right ones for serving the best Italian wines. |
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The habit of keeping wine in a bottle dates back to the XV century. Before then, these glass recipients were almost exclusively used for storing perfume and only occasionally wine. During transportation, the wine was generally placed in metal bottles or in leather containers, whilst it was actually stored in amphora. It was in the course of the XVII century that glass bottles began to be used regularly.
The shape of the bottles has been adapted in the course of time to the various types of wine, although today it responds more to respecting a tradition dictated by use than a real technical need. The Albeisa, Piemontese, Vigevanese, the Tuscan flask, Renana, Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy are just some of the bottle shapes that are still in existence. But it is above all the sparkling wine bottles that come in different types, with different names according to their capacity. The reference bottle in this case is the champagne type, with a capacity of 0.75 litres. This is joined by the split (equal to a quarter of a normal bottle), the half equivalent to half a normal bottle, the Magnum, equal to two normal bottles, and the Methuselah or Imperial type (8 normal bottles), Salmanazar (12 normal bottles), Balthazar, with the capacity of 16 bottles and the Nebuchadnezzar, equal to 20 bottles.
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Notwithstanding a few exceptions, the law regulating quality wines dictates that some of these should be bottled in particular types of bottles. Here are some of those most used.
Let's start out with the Bordeaux type of a cylindrical form with a short collar and pronounced shoulders. This is a clear glass bottle for white wines and dark for red wines to be aged. Some producers do, however, use the dark glass for bottling white wines, above all with the purpose of prolonging their ageing. Also in cylindrical form but with a long collar and without shoulders is the Burgundy bottle, which originates from the French region by the same name and is made exclusively using green glass. In Italy, these are found in a number of colours including black which is suitable for wines with a long ageing process.
The Champagne, of which there are a number of types according to capacity, is used for sparkling wines in all countries. The Flute, of Alsatian origins, is used for white wines and the Renana, very thin and slender, was conceived precisely for white wines that leave no deposit as they are consumed in a short space of time.
The flask is a very old and characteristic type of bottle, the use of which dates back to the XII-XIV century, in the same period in which Chianti was becoming widespread.
In order for the bottle to stay upright and to protect the glass during transportation, it was covered with a plait of dried grasses made from marsh leaves (although today even plastic is used for the covering). Similar to the flask though more oval and originally from Umbria is the Pulcianella, used almost exclusively for white Orvieto. Going up to the north of Italy, one finds the Albeisa, of a conical-cylindrical form and which is exclusively used for bottling the great reds from the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte.
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THE RIGHT GLASS FOR SAVOURING EACH BOUQUET |
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The use of the glass dates back to ancient times: in 1st century A.C. Rome, it was already a consolidated habit. After a period of decline in Medieval times, the glass returned right in the middle of Renaissance times in colours and forms that were often extravagant and sealed their definitive triumph.
Today, glasses that are made from crystal or very fine glass are considered suitable for very fine wines. The glass should be transparent and free from decorations, smooth and clear. These requisites are indispensable for appreciating the colour and purity of the wine. The glasses should have the classic stem for holding them, thereby avoiding contact from the hand that might warm the wine. They should also be capacious enough to contain a quantity of wine that allows the release of a good aroma without being full to the rim. Different types of glass are chosen according to the type of wine.
White wines are generally served in slender olive-shaped glasses with a long stem and a rather narrow opening for gathering the bouquet. Rose and sparkling wines are served in rounded glasses that are elongated and slightly flared. For champagne, the best glass is the goblet in the case of the sweet type as it allows the fragrance to be better appreciated, whilst the flute is best for the dry type as it allows the persistence and evolution of the bubbles to be harnessed in full.
For red wines, generally the most suitable glass is the chalice as it allows the full and persistent bouquet to be appreciated in full. Amongst the chalices, the balloon has a large form with a full belly and is particularly suitable for noble and austere reds. Furthermore it is easier to hold and better permits the rotational movements during the tasting. Liqueur wines, on the other hand, are best appreciated in small glasses that become narrower towards the top as they retain the aroma longer.
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