When hosting a corporate event and even a private party we guess most would have champagne glasses. When the subject of champagne arises, it’s often accompanied by a debate on which glass best suits the sparkling wine. However, the evolution of the champagne glass is much more complex and historically significant than a discussion of glass shape would at first imply.
Here, we briefly explore the history of the champagne glass, and the effect that a glass has on the taste and experience of a sip of champagne.
Champagne and the Restoration
Champagne, though not quite as we know it today, first arrived in England with the exiled Norman, Chevalier de Saint-Évremond, in 1670 and rapidly assumed prime position as Charles II’s favorite libation.
Shortly after, in 1674, the invention of lead glass by George Ravenscroft changed the art of glassmaking forever. Ravenscroft’s discovery was only made possible by the higher temperatures maintained over longer periods achieved by coal- (as opposed to wood-) fired ovens. It would, of course, have important ramifications.
The Importance of Lead Glass
Lead glass paved the way for innovative new techniques. First, glassmakers could manipulate their material in its softened state for longer. This led to glass free from the trapped air bubbles so characteristic of earlier English, Bohemian and Murano glassware.
The Late Victorian Era to the 1920s
One of the great myths about champagne (aside from that concerning the contribution of Marie Antoinette) is that the coupe was simply superseded by the flute. In truth, there has never been one dominant type of champagne glass.
As champagne consumption spread, so did the variety of glasses. In England, glassmaking was in demand among crystal manufacturers such as Edinburgh and Leith, and Thomas Webb & Sons (later Webb’s Crystal Glass Company Ltd.). Their owners would travel the world in search of both designs and customers.
