|
17. Choosing the glasses
"Champagne is not drunk, it is savoured.
It must not be drunk too greedily.
It should be enjoyed with restraint in straight glasses,
with thoughtful, well-spaced sips".
COLETTE |
 |
A - The importance of the nature of the glasses and their maintenance
The elegance of the correct glass for serving Champagne must reflect its distinctive and prestigious image but should also allow us to appreciate all of the wine's qualities. Crystal glasses are best suited for this purpose. The ideal Champagne glass is fine, smooth and transparent so that the ‘activity of the wine’ is visible.
The shape of a Champagne glass must be functional, especially since it influences the release of the bubbles. There are glasses that have a rounded base while others have a pointed base. The sparkle is not the same. It is much more lively in the latter. Some glass manufacturers have benefited from this characteristic by making glasses with hollow stems to encourage the dynamism of the bubbles.
 |
|
The nature of the glasses and the manner in which they are cleaned also has an important influence on the formation and persistence of the bubbles. In some glasses, the Champagne does not sparkle. Pasteur, in a letter dated 23rd February 1858, noticed that carbon dioxide escaped from the liquid (in which it is dissolved) when it is in contact with rough surfaces. It is therefore possible that Champagne does not sparkle (apart from the initial spray in contact with the air) if the glass is impeccably clean and perfectly polished. Before blaming the wine, it must be sampled either in a glass wiped in a different manner or in a glass produced in a different way. In order to avoid this hassle, the glass manufacturers sometimes engrave a star, or even grooves, on the bottom of the glass to ensure a good release of the gas.
|
The anomalies noticed in bubble formation can also be caused by how the glass is washed. If a detergent is used without sufficient rinsing, a variety of bizarre phenomena can be observed. Frequently the sparkle is poorly formed and the ring of bubbles, created when the Champagne is poured into the glass, lasts indefinitely instead of gradually being reabsorbed. Detergents should therefore not be used for washing Champagne glasses. In bars and restaurants, suitable detergents should only be used in special dishwashers. These Champagne glasses must be stored upright in cupboards. If they are placed the other way up, they will acquire the odour of the material or covering on which they stand, even through a neutral material, and this can be transmitted to the wine. In order to prevent dust from settling in the glasses, they should simply be covered with a neutral material serviette.
B - Types of glasses
The flute-glass, thanks to the height of its ‘diffusing column’, is well suited to a visual inspection of the wine. It is ideal for Champagne as long as it is sufficiently open. There are some practical difficulties associated with it however: fragility, slow service and the risk of overflow when you pour too quickly. But these tend to be only minor problems.
The coupe-glass, on the other hand, cannot be supported. The sparkle forms badly and lasts but a short time. The bouquet also quickly disperses.
|
|
 |
Around 1930, a new type of glass came into use for drinking Champagne. It consisted of a receptacle in the shape of an egg with its top sliced off, supported by a fully elongated stem. This is the classic Champagne glass today. It is described in glass manufacturers' catalogues under this name, and has been adopted throughout the world. One must beware however of the confusion which may arise from its name in England. There, the Champagne glass is usually described as a "tulip-shaped glass" and the coupe-glass as a "champagne glass".
The Champagne glass is elegant and may be held by its stem, as prescribed by one of the tasters' code of good manners. This gesture is aesthetic and ideal for enhancing the grace of a beautiful hand. Held in this way, the freshness of the Champagne is better preserved than in the coupe-glass, which is often difficult to hold in any other way than by the receptacle. The classic Champagne glass is wide enough and elongated enough to enable one to admire both the bubbles and the sparkle. It is sufficiently open to allow tasting yet narrow enough to maintain the concentration of the bouquet. The latter is also enhanced by the VENTURI effect, which via a nozzle shaped object, gives rise to an acceleration of air currents.
There are several different sizes of Champagne glasses, but in order to be both stylish and fulfil their function, they must be sufficiently slender. The following dimensions are considered ideal - total height: 185 to 210 mm; recipient height: 90 mm; stem height: 95 to 120 mm; opening diameter: 62.5 mm; maximum recipient diameter: 74 mm; stem diameter: 70 to 75 mm. The serving capacity of such a glass, filled to within 1 cm of the top, is 22.5cl. One bottle of Champagne can either serve 5 such glasses if they are two-thirds full (never more, it is not considered elegant!) or 8 if they are half full.
A tasting glass can also be used for Champagne. As the name indicates, it is principally designed for use in a laboratory, but its low capacity makes it useful for crowded receptions without any great decorum. It has a tulip-shaped recipient, placed on a stem of medium height. Depending on its size, a bottle of Champagne can fill between 8 and 12 tasting glasses.
Finally, there is a Champagne glass known as the "pomponne-glass", which has the specific characteristic of having no stem. It is a straight or curved flute-glass, finishing in a ring, a knob or an olive-shaped glass ball. Its origin is uncertain.
|