Cognac Glasses - Do They Really Enhance the Drinking Experience?

There are many different types of brandy and cognac glasses and available to purchase. But does the shape of a glass really do anything to improve the tasting sensation when you actually sip your cognac? Or is it just a ploy by clever marketers to encourage us to spend our hard earned cash?

Well, depending on how you drink your cognac, then yes - there certainly is a reason as to the choice of glass that's best suited for your drink. Of course, if you're enjoying a cognac cocktail then it's likely to be served in a long glass or perhaps a martini glass. But for those who like to sip their cognac pure and unadulterated, or perhaps on the rocks, then using the right type of glass will certainly enhance the taste experience.

The two types of cognac glass you might have heard of are the snifter, or balloon shaped glass with a short stem, along with the long stemmed tulip shaped glass that is often the preferred choice of the cognac connoisseur.

Cognac Glasses - Do They Really Enhance the Drinking Experience?

The reasoning behind drinking neat cognac from a glass shaped such as these is that the glass allows the aroma (or nose) of the cognac to be captured inside and directed upwards towards the nose of the drinker. That way you not only involve your taste buds, but your sense of smell is also brought into play, so doubling the effect on your senses and so doubling your enjoyment of the drink. The tulip shaped glasses tend to have a slightly flared rim, allowing the heady aromas of the cognac a chance to breathe, so freeing the taste even more effectively. And today you can enjoy cognac from the most modern of glasses, with some of the world's top glass makers producing beautiful cognac glasses with a modern twist. This means that not only do you get the best cognac tasting experience, but that they also look pretty handsome sat on your dinner table as well.

One of the most popular Cognac Glasses is the Riedel Cognac und Brandy glasses - Riedel is one of the oldest family-run glass manufacturing companies in the world. Their beautiful crystal covers all drinks imaginable and their design is developed to suit the characteristic of every drink. Whether you're drinking wine, whiskey or cognac, Riedel will offer you a broad range of glasses to choose from. The tulip glass by Riedel for cognac is an elegantly shaped, heavy glass that makes drinking cognac even more enjoyable.

Cognac Glasses - Do They Really Enhance the Drinking Experience?

Author's suggestion: A blog which discusses this topic in detail is the blog http://www.cognac-glasses.com

Alexandre Dickson is co-author of Cognac Expert.com and Cognac enthusiast directly from the Charente in France. On his Cognac Blog he's writing almost daily about new cognac, upcoming brands like the "Conjure Cognac" promoted by rapper Ludacris. Introduced successfully in 2010!