Is it bad to serve red wine in a white wine glass?

White wine glasses are designed originally to make the best of white wine, so does red wine glasses for red wine. But you can still find some restaurants serve coffee and spirits out of red wine glasses and pour red wine into a white wine glass. We have known that, red wine glasses are typically bigger than white wine glasses, and different wine glasses do affect the ultimate tastes of the type of wine you choose. Therefore, is it bad to serve red wine in a white wine glass? If so, why do some cafés and restaurants follow it?

There are two aspects compared to make an objective answer. It may not be the perfect choice, but there is nothing wrong with it.

Proper temperature for better wine tasting

The key to choosing red or white wine glasses lies in the temperature of wine served. All types of wine tastes better with a comparatively cool temperature, while the whites are lower than the reds. There is a list about better wine serving temp for different types of wine.

Red wine served from 53-72 °F creates a better tasting experience and white wine tastes better under the temperature from 44-57 °F. Here comes the main point. White wine glasses shaped smaller helps keep white wine chilled longer. It is not a necessity for red wine, because it can be served at room temperature. And a bigger wine glass turns out to have a better red wine tasting, for large surface areas are exposed and more aromatic components are to be released.

Floral aromas preserved with proper wine glasses

Coffee lovers are obsessed with its unique flavors and aromas, and it acts in the very same way as wine drinkers values the smell of wine. Different wine glasses deliver aromas in their own way.

• Red wine

Red wine served in a bigger glass has larger surface area to evaporate ethanol and deliver more aromas. Furthermore, a wider opening for light-bodied red wine helps mitigate the bitterness of tannin and thus makes it a smoother taste.

• White wine

White wine glasses in smaller capacity preserve aromas at a large degree. Full-bodied white wine becomes better when served in glasses with a wider mouth, for more aromas released enter into your nose.

In conclusion, it is not a bad choice to serve red wine in a white wine glass. Serving wine with correct glasses creates no harm but a better wine tasting experience. The interesting thing about wine tasting is that there is little difference when serve both red and white wine at same temperature. If there are full set of wine glasses for your choice, you know smaller glasses are for the whites and larger for the reds.

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