Placing Wine Glasses on the Dining Table for Christmas
Depending on how many wines we serve at the table and how elaborate the food we serve is, the wine glass setting may be simpler or more complex.
When serving a table, it is always complicated how to set the wine glasses properly. There are many types of glasses, and we need to set the correctly, so that all our guests know in which glassware set to pour the wine.
There is nothing more comforting than seeing our guests happy when they come to have dinner on Christmas. But to be a good host means that everything needs to be ready when the guests arrive, from the table to the food.
And everyone knows that the difference between success and failure lies in the details. In this blog, we will tell you all about how to properly set the wine glasses, so that your table looks ready and follows all the rules of etiquette.
It took a long time before glasses were given a place at the table at etiquette meals. Every time a guest wanted a drink, she asked the waiter to bring her a glass and serve the drink; once the guest had finished her drink, the waiter would take the cup away.
It was considered unpolite to place a drink on the table. In addition, the bottles were placed in coolers containing ice and within easy reach of the waiters.
Type of wine glasses
It was during the 19th century when the glasses were placed on the table. This means that each wine is served in its own glass. Good manners advise adapting, as much as possible, each drinking glass to the type of drink.
However, this is not always possible, so we recommend following a rule of thumb, to serve your home bar. White wines are served in a small glass with a narrow mouth. Red wines are served in glasses with a wide opening and a larger mouth.
White wine glasses are smaller than red glasses because we serve a lower quantity of white wine, in order to preserve the correct temperature and avoid warming the drink.
Sparkling wines are served in tulip sparkling glasses. Contrary to the popular myth, sparkling wines are better not to be served in flute glasses, as we can´t fully appreciate all its aroma and flavour.
Placing wine glasses on the table
The wine glasses are placed on the table in the form of an organic tube or in a bouquet.
In general, if in the meal we only serve a type of wine, we will only place two pieces of glassware on the table, the glass of water, which is the bigger one, and the wine glass adapted to the wine that we are serving. On the contrary, if we are planning to do a big dinner, we will place three glasses, one for the water, one for the red wine and another one for the white wine.
The glasses are placed on the table in a precise order. The glasses are placed in the upper part of the plate, slightly to the right and diagonally. There are two valid formulas for how to place the glassware.
First, place the glassware in the shape of an organ. That is, wine glassware is aligned according to its size. The biggest is placed to the right, and the smallest, at the height of the proper cutlery, to the right. So, the order would be, starting on the right, the smallest, then the middle one and finally the biggest one.
The second option is to place the glassware in a bouquet. The first three pieces of glassware, starting from the biggest one, are placed in the shape of an organ pipe, and the other two glasses, the liquor glass and the champagne glass, are placed behind these.
Coloured glasses, which are not considered appropriate by critics, can only be used for intimate dinners. However, they can’t be used for an etiquette meal, as wine glasses should be transparent.
How to maintain glassware
Glasses with fragile stems or very fine crystals can´t be washed in the dishwasher. To dry the glasses, we recommend using a kitchen cloth. If the bottom of the cup is fragile, first dry the balloon with both hands without pressing the foot of the glass. Then, we suggest drying the foot.
To store the glasses, need to be stored upside down. If you want to serve them shinning, we recommend using this trick; Boiling water and passing the glasses over the steam. Then, we dry the glasses with a cloth. Using this method, the wine will be served in shining glasses that will look good as new.
We hope you learned how to properly place wine glasses on the table, so you can host a wonderful dinner following the rules of etiquette. If you want to learn more about the exciting world of wine, do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter.
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See you next time, wine lovers,
Dis&Dis Team
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