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There's little room left on the table when sommelier Gon Leung at Cepage restaurant in Hong Kong lays out the nine kinds of wine glasses in his inventory. The stemware is made from a blend of crystal and glass—100% crystal goblets are considered more valuable by some, but they are also quite heavy.
For Mr. Leung, making proper stemware is all about mastering geometry—the angles and lines of the goblet determine how the wine develops as it sits inside the glass, and it can influence the way the wine pours onto the tongue, which in turn can affect taste.
'Your sweet receptors are at the tip of your tongue; bitterness is detected at the back of your throat; and the sides pick up the acidity,' explains Mr. Leung, adding that goblets are not only for holding wine, but are an essential 'ingredient' in its enjoyment. Here's his advice on what kind of wine to pour in what glass.
A side note: When pouring wine, stop at just below the 'belly' — the widest part of the glass, says Mr. Leung. 'The smaller the pour, the better.' More room in the glass means it 'breathes' better, too.
Young Champagne glass: The long shape of the flute minimizes surface area and helps preserve the bubbles longer.
Grand Champagne glass: Meant for older vintages of Champagne, the slightly larger glass gently 'decants' the Champagne and lets it breathe.
Standard white-wine glass: Use this for lighter white wines, such as Riesling, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, which all emit fresh and fruity aromas. The bouquet, though fragrant, can dissipate quickly, so the tall 'nose'—the distance from the widest part of the glass to the rim—acts as a highway that directs the scents out of the glass straight to your nose as you tip the goblet toward you.
Chardonnay glass: Chardonnay, a more complex and stronger-tasting white wine, needs a wide bowl-shaped glass so it can mellow and the air can circulate. Viognier, also a heavier-tasting white wine, is better served in this kind of goblet.
Young Burgundy glass: This glass was made for Pinot Noir. The slightly larger shape and diameter—compared with a white-wine glass—allows the tannins in the red wine to breathe, which softens its acidity so it is easier to swallow. To preserve the gentler aromas of the Pinot Noir, the glass has a wider belly, which traps the air inside.
Old Burgundy glass: The slightly taller nose of this glass keeps the aromas trapped in or 'protected' for a little longer, as older Burgundies are more fragile and less 'lively.'
Young Bordeaux glass: Cabernet Sauvignon (a main grape used in Bordeaux) is high in tannins. The larger glass bowl, by providing more air for the wine to breathe, softens them. Help it along by swirling your glass.
Old Bordeaux glass: A bigger glass is perfect for older reds that need to be 'woken up after a long sleep,' says Mr. Leung. This glass is also perfect for a Shiraz, which is less fruity than some other kinds of red wine and has heavy spice aromas.
Dessert wine glass: The outward bend of the lip directs the wine to the tip of the tongue, where the sweet receptors are, so accentuating the wine's sweetness, says Mr. Leung.
參考譯文：
香港Cepage餐廳的侍酒師梁志恒（Gon Leung）把店里的九種葡萄酒杯擺上了桌面，把一張桌子擺了個滿滿登登。這些高腳杯子都是水晶和玻璃的混合體——有些人覺得純用水晶制作的杯子更有價值，不過，那樣的杯子實在是十分沉重。
在梁志恒看來，制作上乘高腳杯的秘訣全都逃不出幾何學的范圍——杯子的角度和線條決定了杯中葡萄酒的揮發方式，還會對葡萄酒接觸舌頭的方式造成影響，進而影響葡萄酒的味道。
梁志恒解釋說，接收甜味的味蕾位于舌尖，接收苦味和酸味的味蕾則分別位于舌根和舌頭兩側。他補充說，高腳杯不僅是盛酒的器皿，還是品酒過程當中一個不可或缺的“組成部分”。哪種葡萄酒該配哪種酒杯，以下就是他的建議。
小提示：梁志恒說，倒酒的時候，滿到“杯肚”——也就是是杯身最寬的那個地方——下沿就得停手。杯里的酒越少越好，因為杯子里剩余的空間越大，葡萄酒的“呼吸”也就越順暢。
小香檳酒杯（Young Champagne glass）：這種杯子形狀細長，把酒與空氣接觸的面積減到了最小，由此就可以延長氣泡停留的時間。
大香檳酒杯（Grand Champagne glass）：這種杯子比小香檳酒杯大一點兒，適合年份較長的香檳酒。你可以用它來輕輕“搖蕩”杯里的酒，讓酒香散發出來。
標準白葡萄酒杯（Standard white-wine glass）：這種杯子適合那些口味比較清淡的白葡萄酒，它們都散發著清新的果香，比如雷司令（Riesling）、灰皮諾（Pinot Grigio）和長相思（Sauvignon Blanc）。這些酒的香味雖然濃郁，但卻很容易消散。在你舉杯欲飲的時候，長長的“杯鼻”——也就是“杯肚”到杯子邊沿的那一部分——就好比是一條大路，可以將杯子里的酒香直接導入你的鼻子。
霞多麗葡萄酒杯（Chardonnay glass）：霞多麗白葡萄酒（Chardonnay）擁有更加復雜濃郁的味道，因此就需要我們用上這種大口的碗形酒杯，這樣才能促進空氣回圈、讓酒味變得醇和。維歐尼白葡萄酒（Viognier）的味道也比較重，適合它的器皿也是這種杯子。
小勃艮第酒杯（Young Burgundy glass）：這種杯子之所以問世，是為了滿足人們飲用黑皮諾紅酒（Pinot Noir）的需要。它比白葡萄酒杯稍微大一點兒，可以讓紅酒當中的單寧酸更快揮發，由此就可以減低紅酒的酸度，使它更容易下口。因為黑皮諾的香氣不太濃郁，這種杯子就擁有一個較為寬闊的“杯肚”，作用是留住杯里的空氣、更好地保存酒香。
大勃艮第酒杯（Old Burgundy glass）：這種杯子的“杯鼻”比小勃艮第酒杯長一點兒，杯里的酒香也就可以停留得長一點兒，因為陳年的勃艮第葡萄酒（Burgundy）比較脆弱，不那么“活潑”。
小波爾多酒杯（Young Bordeaux glass）：赤霞珠葡萄（Cabernet Sauvignon，多數波爾多葡萄酒都是用這種葡萄釀制的）富含單寧酸。這種碗形酒杯比較大，為赤霞珠葡萄酒提供了更大的揮發空間，有助于酒的軟化。你還可以晃動酒杯，進一步加快酒的軟化。
大波爾多酒杯（Old Bordeaux glass）：梁志恒說，大杯子最適合那些年份較長的紅酒，因為它們需要“從漫長的沉睡當中醒來”。這種杯子跟西拉紅酒（Shiraz）也是絕配，因為西拉紅酒跟其他一些紅酒不同，果香不那么濃郁，反而具有一種辛辣刺鼻的香氣。
甜酒杯（Dessert wine glass）：梁志恒說，這種杯子的杯口往外翻，因此就可以把酒液導向甜味味蕾所在的舌尖，讓人充分體驗酒的甜味。
