The shape of your glass – the size of the rim versus the size of the bowl, where and how you hold it, the height from bowl to rim, even how full it is – profoundly affects how you experience the liquid inside.
It does this by gathering or dispersing aromas around the rim, allowing the liquid minimal or maximum contact with fresh, oxygenated air and most of all, by determining how far back you tilt your head to sip from it: the further back you tilt, the further back in your palate it's delivered.
The wide, old-school champagne coupe is perfect for sweet sparkling wines as it allows the bubbles to disperse quickly, which makes the wines taste softer and fruitier.
Champagne flutes are designed to rocket-power your bubbles and are best for dry, brut sparkling wines. The smaller, narrower white wine glass with a longer stem delivers white wine to the middle palate first, putting the fruit flavours at the forefront of your drinking experience.
Larger, deeper bowls are perfect for swirling red wine, drawing oxygen into the wine, allowing more complex aromas and flavours to develop. Most wine glasses have a smaller rim to base ratio to trap aromas at the rim for your enjoyment.
Over the years the glassware  has been developed as much to improve the experience of drinking wine as it has to improve the aesthetic and practical experience of having it on the table. Stems aren’t just to keep wines at room temperature while you hold them, they're also just high enough to catch  flickering light of the candles and make tiny rainbows at the rim as it curves inwards.
The TOPS at SPAR Wine Show is partnering with Core Catering again this year to deliver a world-class WINEderland experience, with their elegant, durable ,glass range which will be available to purchase at the show. Catch the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show presented by Weekend Post from Thursday to Saturday July 26 to 28 at the Boardwalk. For tickets options visit Quicket and for more show information visit www.wineshow.co.za