Let me start by saying that I’m not at all a Champagne guy. I spent more than enough years in the luxury industry, getting the stuff handed to me at every product launch, gala, or mildly successful watch exhibition. It stopped tasting like celebration to me over time, but hospitality cannot function without it. Take Champagne away from galas and openings, and events turn into just a bunch of people standing around awkwardly, holding canapés and looking for the exit.
So, even as a sceptic, I have developed opinions. They are less about taste, or the provenance of one Maison or another, than about glassware. At the risk of sacrilege, I think almost everyone is drinking Champagne from the wrong type of glass, but with valid reasons. In my defense, iconic houses such as Krug have been making the same argument for years. I am in good company.
Start with the Champagne Flute, that tall, narrow, look-at-me-and-my-bubbles glass. It is elegant, photogenic and the default at every event with a dress code. It is also something of a scam. The shape does a splendid job of preserving and displaying the bubbles, but a less impressive one of letting you smell what you are drinking. There is little room for the aromas to develop. The brioche, nuts, citrus and that overused minerally thing wine people like to go on about are all there, but struggling to get a word in. The flute is not really built for tasting, but for looking good, which explains its enduring success.
Then there is the Champagne Coupe, the shallow, wide glass seen in every film that involves Gatsby, moody leading ladies in long dresses, or someone making regrettable decisions after midnight. Legend has it that its shape was modelled on Marie Antoinette’s breast, which it wasn’t, of course. But that story has proved considerably more durable than bubbles poured into it.
Called the Sektschale in Germany, the coupe remains the go-to vessel for the country’s sparkling wines. It is not an improvement on the flute, but arguably a worse choice. Its open surface allows bubbles to disappear quickly, so the sparkling part of the experience begins fading as soon as it is poured. It also spills the drink onto your tuxedo if you look the wrong way for a moment, and I’m speaking from experience here. The coupe is gorgeous but largely useless, rather like a supercar without trunk space.
So what actually works?
A plain white-wine glass, like the type you already own. Preferably a tulip-shaped one, with a wider bowl that narrows towards the top. It gives the wine room to breathe and the aromas somewhere to unfold before they reach your nose. You can swirl and sniff it as you would a Chablis or any other serious white wine. This is not as revolutionary a position as it sounds, and a growing number of sommeliers and Champagne houses start recommending much the same thing.
As always, there is a trade-off, as the bubbles will not last quite as long as they do in a flute. And some of that “look at these gorgeous bubbles, daaaaahling” theatre is lost. But if you actually want to taste the thing you probably paid too much for, the choice is easier than convention suggests.
Before reaching for a glass then, consider what you are trying to achieve. If you are toasting an engagement, take the flute. Nobody will be analysing tasting notes at that moment. If you want 1920s glamour and have less concern if the wine survives beyond minute three, take the coupe and get the cameras ready. But if you opened a serious vintage, or merely a bottle good enough to deserve some attention, reach for a tulip-shaped wine glass.
The three glasses are not competitors, but tools for different jobs. And Champagne, the hospitality industry’s perennial overachiever, has found a use for all three.
It’s complicated, darling. But then, so is the bubbly industry itself.
Image Credit: https://www.churrascophuket.com (AI Generated)
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Churrasco Phuket Steakhouse serves affordable Wagyu and Black Angus steaks and burgers. We are open daily from 12noon to 11pm at Jungceylon Shopping Center in Patong / Phuket.
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