Wine : Why does the stemmed glass have a stem ?

The stemmed glass is one of the essential elements of a good table. But why is wine always served in a stemmed glass ? Response from Beaux-Vins…

There are mornings like this where I wake up asking myself existential questions. Like the time I asked you on the Facebook page "We all know that water conducts electricity, but if we put wine in the water, does she still have the right to drive ? ". — Yes, the morning is not easy for me —.

Obvious reasons…

Aesthetics

The stemware reminds us of the large silver goblets that kings and lords once used to get drunk on the nectar of the gods. The stemmed glass was a sign of nobility and distinction, a symbol of elegance and refinement. It is true, it's hard to imagine Marie Antoinette drinking champagne from an Amora glass…

The tasting

The first step to any tasting is to’observe the wine. Holding the wine glass by the stem helps not to obstruct the vision - duh ! - and light can thus pass through the precious liquid to allow us to observe all the subtleties.

I already mentioned it in a previous article that I invite you to read again: To taste, meet the right conditions, the temperature of the wine plays a major role in the tasting of a wine. The olfactory and gustatory aromas of the wine will be broken by too much or too little temperature..

If the wine is served in a stemmed glass, it is also to prevent it from heating up too quickly during tasting. The palm of your hand transfers body heat to the glass and the wine will heat up much faster than if you were holding your glass by the stem.

… Far from the truth

The poisons affair (movie 1955)

The reasons given above make sense to understand why stemmed glasses are still used today and the amalgamation is systematic on blogs and other online wine sales sites that are well established.. In fact, its existence is much less rosy than that.

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The origin of its use in France actually dates back to the fight against poisoning in the 17th century.. The stemmed glass was developed at the time to prevent servants from pouring poison into it. The servants then had to hold the glass by the foot, showing clearly the stem and the ball during the service of the wine. It was therefore impossible for them to pour poison, since the hand should never approach or come into contact with the edge of the glass.

This precautionary principle was born just after the Poisons Affair, a series of crimes and attempted murder by intoxication involving the French aristocracy between 1679 to 1682. More than 400 people were accused of participating in this vast conspiracy against the crown, including members of the court of Louis XIV.

As an aperitif or during an event, it often happens to the guests to drink, but do you know why we do this ?

This practice dates back to the Middle Ages. It was not uncommon, at that time, to die poisoned by poison discreetly slipped into a glass. It was then customary to bang the glasses against each other hard enough so that the drink spilled into the glass of the other guests.. If the person you offered to drink refused to do the same, you could have serious doubts about the contents of your drink ... The expression "health" comes from the same reason, if the glass is not poisoned we can wish each other good health.