Source: Wikimedia

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Grape Collective. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

In my latest column, I explain why most wine enthusiasts have grown to loathe Champagne flutes.

Forget the Flute and Toss the Coupe

“Flutes?” asked Sebastian Zutant, a leading sommelier in Washington, D.C., with obvious disdain. “We’re adults; we use real wine glasses.”

Zutant was helping pour wines at a charity wine dinner when he caught word that one attendee had asked for Champagne flutes. Since guests had brought a variety of impressive wines — about 100 collectors attended the bring-your-own-bottle event — Zutant and the other sommeliers had fixed every place setting with five “universal” glasses.

Several attendees arrived with Champagne, but only one requested flutes. Zutant, who has been managing beverage programs at some of D.C.’s best restaurants for more than a decade, was having none of it. Like most wine enthusiasts, he loathes flutes.

The flute gained popularity around 50 years ago as the coupe — the sherbet-style glass supposedly molded from Marie Antoinette’s left breast — fell out of favor. But like the coupe, it’s a terrible vessel for enjoying Champagne. And finally, sommeliers, retailers, and wine educators are beginning to say so.

Check out the rest of the piece on Grape Collective!