Clean glasses are essentail to enjoying wine. One customer at California Taste Fine Wine had said he was drinking Chardonnay and it was bubbly like champagne. He had this happen with three bottles of wine. The taste and smell were not off, but it seemed unusual. I asked about the glasses, since he had brought an open bottle back to the store and we used our glasses. No bubbles.
We found out that the dish washer had broken and they were hand washing everything. Not a bad thing, but the y were not rinsing the glasses very well, leaving a small trace of soap residue in the glass. So a very hot wash/rinse is essential for clean glasses.
So let’s spend a few moments talking about washing wine glasses. First, you want o not use soap if at possible. Most glasses get really dirty on the outside, where people touch them. If you do want to use soap, use a mild soap and the least amount possible. Be sure to rinse the glass thoroughly. Do not forgot to wash the base and the stem. If there are lipstick smudges, you need to gently roll the edge of the glass around your thump and for finger. It will take a few rolls to get it off, but it has to go.
The tricky part is drying the glass. Most people say that when they break a glass, it is when they are drying it. So take these words to heart: Do not dry the glass by twisting the stem. The point where the stem meets the bowl is the weakest point of the glass. do not put pressure on the stem. Twirl the whole glass around a few time when drying. Use a linen cloth as opposed to cotton. Cotton leaves fibers which can affect taste and appearance of wine. If using paper towels. Do not get them overly wet as they then tend to require more pressure to dry and then there is a greater chance of breakage.
Store clean glasses with the bowl side down so that dust and other particulates do not get into the glass. Before service, try and gently wipe the glass with a clean cloth, again not cotton. If there are smudges, an easy way to clean the glass is to wipe with a clean cloth after applying a bit of steam to the glass.
If using a dishwasher, the best way to clean glasses is to add a cup of white wine vinegar to the dish washer. The vinegar prevents soap scum form attaching to the glasses. But you also need to make sure the glass’s base is clean as well. Nothing is as depressing as getting a dirty glass with a nice amount of good wine.
I just washed about 70 glasses from last night’s tasting of Ballentine and St. Clement. Everyone had a nice clean glass and we had plenty to choose from. It was an event where we really did Uncork Happiness.
