What sort of glass should you use to drink champagne?
Which glass should you use for champagne – a coupe or a flute?
Champagne lovers have been debating the flute versus the coupe for generations, and if you think this age-old argument might spoil your New Year’s Eve celebrations, you should know that the professionals have their own views on the matter. Sommeliers and producers have no doubt that champagne should be served without either a flute or a coupe. The flute is too narrow: the bubbles tickle the nose, masking the aromas. The coupe is too wide, allowing them to escape on either side of the nostrils.
Champagne is a wine, and like all wines, it smells and tastes like any other. However, champagne is unique in that it is regarded as a festive drink, and the experts recommend a flute-shaped glass, but with a rounded middle. The glass should be elongated like a flute, but rounded in the middle. An egg-shaped glass resembling a rugby ball is also considered ideal. The reason for this is the bubbles in champagne, which would affect the taste of the wine if the glass were straight. Andreas Larsson, named the world’s best sommelier in 2007, believes that the best glass would be a flute-shaped glass with a wider base and a narrow rim. The glass must bring out the taste and aroma of the drink, he says. However, according to Larsson, many restaurants and bars still serve champagne in glasses that are not up to standard.
Philippe Jamesse is the sommelier at Les Crayères, a fine-dining restaurant in Reims. As one of the leading experts in the field, he has developed four models of wine glasses specifically designed for the restaurant. The glasses were developed by a local glassworks, and they offer unique sensory experiences that other wine glasses cannot, says Philippe.
When washing glasses in hot water, it is important to use a detergent designed for high temperatures.
The sommelier prefers round glasses, believing them to be better suited to serving wine. He takes care to allow for the rise of effervescence in the glass, ensuring that the base of the glass is V-shaped but also tapered so that the bubbles can rise in tall columns. The middle of the glass should be as wide as a wine glass, according to the sommelier, as a material that is stretched has a greater capacity to expand and enhances the aroma.
The bubbles carry the aroma from the bottom of the glass up to the nose. The consumer should be aware that it is the effervescence that causes this, and should grip the glass more firmly. The consumer should also wash their glasses in hot water (without soap) to produce beautiful bubbles.
Chef Arnaud Lallement of L’Assiette Champenoise (another fine-dining restaurant in Reims) also states that customers’ expectations often influence the way champagne is served. He admits to having changed his style to meet their needs, although he believes that different bottles are enjoyable in their own right. For a sparkling aperitif, Arnaud says that older vintages and livelier champagnes are served in wider, diamond-shaped flutes, whilst the wines are poured into wider Burgundy glasses.
