The Complete Guide to Grape Specific Wine Glasses

This guide covers all of the different types of wine glasses in the world and what wines they pair best with.

Cabernet or Merlot

The cabernet glass is one of the most versatile red wine glasses out there. It features a wide bowl that allows the wine to aerate while giving it open space for the aromas to gather and strengthen. Those aromas are then directed straight to the drinker’s nose as the wine glass narrows towards the rim.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Full-bodied red wines such as a Cabernet or Merlot

Bordeaux

This is one of the most generic well-rounded wine glasses out there. It may not be perfect for every wine, but it can pretty much handle anything with grace.

The Bordeaux and the Cabernet glass look very similar. That is because Bordeaux is a region in France that often uses cabernet or merlot grapes to make their wines. A red Bordeaux must be made of either Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot or Malbec, because of this these glasses are often used interchangeably with the above Cabernet or Merlot glass.

You notice that the Bordeaux glass, unlike the Cabernet, has a slightly larger rim with a smaller and less rounded bowl.

The slightly larger rim will muddle the spiciness along with the tannins in the Bordeaux. It also allows some of the aromas to escape a little easier. The slightly less rounded bowl causes less aeration and less concentration of aromas. Both the larger rim and the thinner bowl sound like bad qualities but can actually be a good thing for more potent, full-bodied red wines.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Full-bodied red wines (especially Bordeaux), including those made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot grapes.

Shiraz or Syrah

The Shiraz or Syrah glass is very similar to the Bordeaux glass, and they are often used interchangeably. They do differ; however, the Shiraz or Syrah glass has a medium width bowl like the Bordeaux glass, but it tapers in more near the rim. This concentrates the aromas and directs them to the drinker’s nose. Because of this, the bowl usually only has about 3/4 the volume of a similar Bordeaux glass.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Well-structured red wines, including Syrah, Petite Sirah, Hermitage, Malbec, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Pinot Noir or Burgundy

In case you didn’t know, the difference pinot noir is a grape while Burgundy is a place in France. A wine has to come from the Burgundy region to be called a Burgundy wine, but in Burgundy, the grape they use most commonly is the Pinot Noir. Therefore a wine glass that is good for a Pinot Noir will also be suitable for a Burgundy wine.

The Pinot Noir Glass will have an extremely wide bowl because a pinot is a light-bodied, subtle red wine. This oversized bowl allows the wine to be easily swirled and aerated, releasing more ethanol vapors and aromas.

The wide bowl means that a larger volume of aromas can accumulate inside the glass. It also allows the powerful ethanol vapors to run up the sides of the glass as they do, creating a large sweet spot for aromas right in the middle of the glass.

When you go to smell your wine, this powerful sweet spot will allow you to easily identify even the most subtle flavors of your pinot noir.

The heavy curve of the bowl also means that when drinking out of the glass, the wine will naturally fall on the tip of your tongue—allowing you to get the full sense of even the lightest red wines.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Red Burgundies and other medium to full-bodied wines made from Pinot Noir grapes, as well as Italian Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

Zinfandel / Chianti / Riesling

This is one of the most versatile white wine glasses out there. This glass is very similar to the Bordeaux glass. It has a medium-width bowl with a lightly tapered rim. The bowl is not as tall as the Bordeaux, but it does have a longer stem.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Zinfandel as well as other medium-bodied red wines such as Sangiovese, Chianti, Rioja Crianza, and Riesling

Chardonnay / Viognier / Chablis

The Chardonnay glass is kind of a catch-all for white wines. It does a pretty good job of presenting any white wine and is the style you will most likely find in the home. Having a medium-width bowl but a wide rim; the shape balances the lower acidity of the white wine with the sweet fruity flavor.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Light, dry white wines, including Chardonnay (especially lighter style white Burgundy such as Chablis), Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Viognier.

Sauvignon Blanc

The Sauvignon Blanc glass has a much taller thinner profile than the chardonnay glass. Both the bowl and the tapering near the rim give this glass a thinner sleeker styling. Great for displaying the grassy fruit-forward flavors of a sauvignon blanc.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Light to medium-bodied white wines, including Sauvignon Blanc, White Bordeaux, Gewürztraminer, and Sémillon.

Oaked Chardonnay or Montrachet

Sharing a similarly large bowl as the Pinot Noir or Burgundy glass, this wine glass is meant for full-bodied whites like an oaked chardonnay or a Montrachet. The wide bowl allows them to aerate and gather their complex aromas, but the wide rim makes sure that some of these more potent aromas don’t overwhelm the drinker.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Dry white wines and oak-aged full-bodied wines such as those from the region of Mersault and from vineyard sites such as Corton Charlemagne or Montrachet and the grape variety Chardonnay.

Port

This whole glass is explicitly shaped to handle the sweetness and rich fruit aromas of a Port wine. It has a short stem and a narrow bowl that tapers even further inward towards the rim. Usually have a much smaller capacity than a typical wine glass.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

A vintage Port wine.

Rosé

These glasses were built to accentuate the tart fruity flavor of a rosé. The diamond shape is designed to express the bouquet to its fullest. And the rim tapers in to send the wine to the tip of your tongue, tempering its high acidity and balancing out the typical red berry and pinewood aromas.

Wines That Pair Well With This Glass

Tart, Dry Rosé Wines, and Champagnes