We all enjoy a special occasion like a birthday, anniversary or a wedding and a glass of champagne is a perfect way to celebrate and mark such occasions.

Design

There are three different types of champagne glass: the flute, the tulip and the coupe. Champagne flutes are designed tall and slender for the purpose of serving the drink in the best possible way. It has a long slender stem for you to hold, which means the temperature of the champagne is not warmed up by your hand. The long glass curves in slightly at the top in order to keep the bubbles from fizzing out, so the surface area is as small as possible, thus retaining the champagne's carbonation for as long as possible. More bubbles create greater texture in the mouth and the narrow glass reduces the amount of oxygen entering the glass, thus maximizing the aroma and taste. The coupe was the original champagne glass and was more popular in the early 20th century. It has a wide and shallow dish which allows the bubbles to dissipate quite quickly and is therefore not a good choice if you like your drink bubbly and fizzing. The tulip is a sophisticated tall slender glass similar to the flute but has a wider top which means the bubbles end up hitting your tongue and not your nose. The wider top allows more aeration which allows greater taste and aroma to develop, therefore the tulip is the best choice for a fine champagne or sparkling wine which needs space to develop.

Wine glasses

Premium champagne is better drunk from large bowl like glasses, like a burgundy glass which gives the champagne room to breathe and maximise its flavour and aroma. As with any drink, it is important that you have the right glass in order to get the most enjoyment out of the drink. There are large selections of wine glasses depending on your individual taste, glasses that allow the fruity aroma to tease your senses or grand cru glasses for the more mature aged wines. Whatever your taste, there are glasses for any drink.

Flutes

Champagne flutes come in a vast number of designs, shapes and colours, with finely crafted glassware in contemporary or traditional styles all available in cases of six which can be bought in-store or online. Everyone enjoys a glass of bubbly, but to get the best results always serve in an appropriate champagne glass and you won't be disappointed.

Occasions

Weddings are the occasions when the champagne is flowing freely with speeches and toasts; it is the ideal drink for family celebrations. Historically, it was deemed to be a luxury only enjoyed by royalty and the aristocracy, viewed as a status symbol, but today it is widely used to celebrate joyous occasions by smashing bottles on ships for their maiden voyage or smashing glasses at Russian weddings.

Whatever the celebratory occasion, a glass or two won't do any harm.