Glassware

The diameter of the opening controls how much aroma escapes and how fast it goes. A narrow rim concentrates it and holds it over the surface, which is why nosing glasses taper towards the top. A wide rim lets aroma disperse and lets air reach more of the liquid, which is what people mean when they say a wine needs to open up. The rim also sets how far you tilt your head to drink, and therefore where on your tongue the liquid first lands.

A stemmed glass exists so that your hand is not touching the bowl. Body heat moves into thin-walled glass quickly, and a white or sparkling wine held by the bowl will climb several degrees before the glass is empty. Hold the stem or the foot. The logic runs the other way for a brandy balloon, which is deliberately shaped to be cupped when warming the spirit is the whole idea.

A flute is tall and narrow, which slows the loss of carbonation and shows off the rising bead. A coupe is wide and shallow and does the opposite: it lets bubbles go, lets aroma out, and spills if you walk with it. The flute is the practical choice for sparkling wine. The coupe suits drinks served without ice.

One good glass matters more than six specialised ones. If you keep two shapes, make them a larger bowl for red and a smaller bowl for white. The larger bowl gives a tannic red more surface area and more air to work with. The smaller bowl keeps a white cooler for longer, simply because there is less liquid spread against the glass. Everything past that is refinement rather than necessity.

Height, and what goes in them. A tumbler, also called a rocks or old fashioned glass, is short and wide and holds a spirit over ice with little or no mixer, so the wide opening costs you nothing. A highball is tall and narrow and is built for a spirit topped with a long mixer, where the narrow shape helps the carbonation last through a slow drink. Pour a gin and tonic into a tumbler and you get a strong drink and a flat one.

For anything you drink slowly, yes. A thin rim puts less glass between the liquid and your lip, which is generally preferred for wine and for spirits tasted neat. Thick glass is more durable and holds temperature slightly better, so it suits a tumbler with ice in it. Thin glass fares badly in a dishwasher.