Best substitute wine glass
I occasionally find myself opening a bottle of wine at a friend's ill-equipped house, and don't have any wine glasses handy.
What type of serving cup/glass can I substitute for a proper wine glass in these situations? Specifically for red wine, but answers for other wines would be helpful, too.
I understand the reason for a long stem is to keep body heat away from the wine, so this makes me think may be a coffee cup (where body heat is kept away via the handle) might be a reasonable substitute... but then the shape of the glass I understand is also important, no?
Best Answer
Trying to keep your body heat from the wine is only necessary for chilled wines (whites, for the most part). For those served at room temperature (most reds), you actually want your body heat to warm the wine.
I've been to plenty of places that use 'stemless wine glasses' (about the size of a red wine glass, maybe a little larger, but no stem underneath) for reds. I've also been to places that just use mason jars.
For whites, if you're at a dinner table, it's not going to matter as much, as you can put your glass down. The problem comes when you're standing around with your glass. You can get around the problems by making sure that the wine is well chilled, and don't serve as much per glass (so they don't hold it so long that it warms up). Handled glasses can help, but I wouldn't go for a large beer mug like Cos recommended -- I'd use a smaller mug for coffee or tea.
One exception would be your bubbly wines. You want something tall and narrow for those.
None of these have the characteristic wine glass shape, with the smaller opening at the top, which is going to help concentrate the aromas, so if you have any glasses that are shaped like that, consider using those. And you don't want to fill any glass of wine more than half full, so that you have space for the vapors to collect.
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Some good alternatives though would be a medium sized wine glass, a half pint glass or even a mug. High balls or Collins glasses are any tall, straight, stemless glass.Does it matter what type of glass you use for wine?
While white wines have less body and fewer intense flavors than reds, it still matters what glass you serve them in. In contrast to red wines, light-bodied wines go best in narrow-bowled glasses. This is because the smaller glasses can preserve the fruity flavors by maintaining a cooler temperature.Do wine glasses really make a difference?
Other experts agree that it comes down to the wine, not the glass. Indeed, Georg Riedel himself acknowledges that \u201ca glass cannot change a wine from a bad wine to a good wine. We are not responsible for miracles.\u201dDoes Tritan feel like glass?
Although Tritan is a type of plastic, Tritan wine glasses are often so clear they can almost be mistaken for real glass. Because of the look and feel, it's possible to use Tritan wine glasses for pretty much any occasion.Can you use a water glass for wine?
Correct use: Wine glasses are used only once and must be replaced. On the other hand, water glasses can be used as many times as the guest needs to hydrate. Substitute: You can replace the water glasses with crystal glasses. However, red and white wine glasses have no substitute.The Best Wine Glasses with New York Times Wine Critic Eric Asimov
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Answer 2
In addition to the answer provided by @Angelo to Why do drinks drunk from a glass instead of a bottle taste differently? an additional value of stem ware is that allows the drinker to hold a glass of wine without convecting their body heat to the wine.
With these points in mind for Red Wine (and yes, this will "look" funny) serving it in small portions (3-5 oz) in a 10-12 oz BEER MUG will provide the surface area and insulation to enjoy flavors of the wine... well, if you can resist the urge to "Chug" from the mug anyway.
As for Whites, a collins glass (tall thin) glass, again in smaller portions, will allow the drinker to hold the glass near the rim as the wine rests safely in the bottom of the glass.
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