With the uncorking of the heavy, protective bottle, champagne's bubbles are given free rein. In a narrow, tall glass, they can move nicely to the surface. But for the wine taster, such a flûte is not ideal. Barbara Verbeek, register wineologist and gastronome sommelier, explains why.
Text: Marjolein Schuman | Image:
Why is the flûte not ideal?
'When you drink from a flûte, you generally sit with your nose against the mouth rim.
So while drinking, you can't smell good at all. Then you will think: is that so
important? Yes, because 85 to 90 per cent of what you taste, whether it's a cup of coffee or a
cheese sandwich, you do it with your nose.'
Are there any other reasons?
'A second is: the shape of the flûte emphasises the acids and also the hardness of the mousse.
When you take a sip, you actually launch the wine onto the back of your tongue. The
mousse splashes there and comes across as very aggressive. If you have a glass where the wine lands
on the front, then that bubble still has a long way to go across the tongue and is much
softer, milder.'
You designed a spherical glass yourself. Why?
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