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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stemware is drinkware where the bowl stands on a stem above a foot[1] (base that allows to put the vessel down onto a table). It is usually made from glass, but may be made from ceramics or metals. The stemware is intended for cool beverages, like water or wine.[1] The stem allows the drinker to hold the glass without affecting the temperature of the drink.[2] The snifters represent an exception, as they are designed to hold the bowl in a cup of the hand to warm up the beverage.[1]
The glass stemware, with either flat or domed feet, appeared in Middle Ages. Prior to that, a typical drinking vessel made of glass was either a tumbler (unlike the modern ones, these have rounded bases and could literally tumble) or a pointed-base design intended for insertion into the ground or streambed for cooling.[1]
The early designs of the foot used thick rims manufactured by folding edges of the foot over itself. This prevented cracking, but increased the weight of the glass, so in England, simple flat bases appeared once the excise tax, based on the vessel weight, was introduced in 1745.[1]
The modern stemware primarily use the three types of bowls:[3]
The stemware bowls come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. The large bowls are used for nonalcoholic beverages (historically, they were also used for low-alcohol drinks, like beer or mead). Medium-sized bowls are used for wine, small bowls are for high-alcohol-content drinks like aperitifs and dessert wines, and very small bowls are used for cordials and liquors. Here the snifters are an exception again: they might have large bowls while intended for high-alcohol drinks.[4]
The shape of the bowl affects the taste of the beverage. In particular, the French wine quality testing is performed using a special "INAO" glass with an egg-shaped bowl, short stem, and wide foot.[5]
Stemware includes:[6]
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