Champagne flutes are long, narrow glasses with a rounded base and stem, ideal for holding without touching the glass. The shape and surface of the glass affect the taste and effervescence of the champagne, making lead-free crystal and a narrow bowl desirable. In catering settings, less expensive options like champagne discs may be suitable.
The champagne flute is considered both glasses and goblets. It is normally a long narrow glass with a long stem, both about equal in length. A rounded base supports the stem and the length of the stem is considered desirable because it means you can hold the stem without touching the glass or flute portion. For those who enjoy fine champagne, it is advisable to keep the temperature stable. Hanging from the glass part and sipping affects the temperature of the champagne, resulting in hotter champagne and fewer bubbles.
Most people who enjoy champagne and other sparkling wines cite both taste and effervescence as important factors. Therefore, they may want to invest in a champagne flute that is well made and not completely smooth inside. The narrow bowl at the top of a flute also helps prevent bubbles from escaping.
What the champagne drinker wants is a champagne flute that will produce many bubbles, called nucleation. An extremely flat smooth surface within the glass part will not produce as many bubbles and may therefore be undesirable. Excessive rippling of the glass causes bubbles to form and burst too quickly. This can be especially important when you’re serving champagne like Dom Perignon that can cost over $100 US Dollars (USD) per bottle. You obviously want a flute of champagne that will keep this expensive drink bubbly.
If you are a fan of micro-brews or making your own beer, it may also be desirable to have a glass that produces nucleation. Some people prefer to drink finer beers from champagne flutes. Again, holding the champagne flute by its stem will not affect the temperature of the beer and the special finer champagne glass surface will keep the beer nice and bubbly.
The champagne flute is also practical in catering and restaurant settings, where waiters serve trays of champagne to guests. Because the base of the glass is narrow, you can fit multiple cups on one tray. It requires steady hands to carry a tray full of champagne flute glasses. They can easily tip over or slide and cause unpleasant accidents or spills.
When choosing a champagne flute, most wine aficionados recommend looking for lead-free crystal. Waterford crystal, made in Ireland, is often considered the more desirable choice. It can also be very beautiful and the production guarantees a certain standard of quality. It also means you could be paying quite a bit for glasses, sometimes as much as $40-50 US Dollars (USD) for a single glass. On the other hand, such a price may be worth it if you want to enjoy your champagne the way sommeliers recommend.
In banquet or catered settings, it may be fine to use less expensive champagne flutes, or even champagne discs, which have a much wider bowl. Usually in such contexts, champagne is consumed too quickly to lose much effervescence. Other saucers tend to be easier to sip and carry.
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