Why We Drink Wine From A Glass
The amount of wine made every year is simply staggering. It has been enjoyed all over the world for thousands of years and the cup of choice is almost always the glass. What we should be asking ourselves however is, how come glass? Why not from a plastic cup, mug or wooden goblet? The answer is unfortunately not that simple. Actually, wine is enjoyed from a number of different containers, other than glass, in many different places. For example, wooden cups are used in Thailand and in Japan they often drink their wine from a ceramic vase-like cup. However, the overriding choice of tableware drinking vessel, wherever you go, is glass. It’s really more a result of other methods not being appropriate than glass being that special in any way. Lets examine what else is on offer.
Wood. As stated earlier, wooden cups are used to drink wine from in some countries, however there are some major draw backs. Stains are the first major issue, which more often than not occur as a result of red wine drinking. Even if the wood is of a very high quality, staining will happen. Secondly, when wood is in contact with liquid from prolonged periods it starts to rot. So every time it gets used, it would need to be dried pretty well.
Metal. If you have ever drunk wine from a metal cup you will know it’s not the best experience ever. Metals have a lot of ions and with a lot of wines, something called displacement can occur. This means that ions can be released into the wine when it is in the vessel and these result in an altered taste. This is why you often pick up metallic notes when drink from this type of cup. Also, because of its very heat-conductive qualities, almost any other material would keep the wine cooler when you’re holding it
Ceramic. Like glass, ceramic is non porous, does not release any of its qualities into the wine, and can be easily cleaned with a glass cloth. This is why it is a popular alternative, but there is one very simple reason that it has not been embraced in the same way as glass – It is not transparent. When you are tasting wines, you want to be able to study their unique aesthetic qualities and consistencies. It is a very primitive desire and it has stuck with us ever since glass was invented.
