Choosing The Right Wine Carafes

I don’t like to think that image means everything to me, but I do care about what people think.  I don’t think that’s unreasonable.  That’s what led to me buying a wine carafe.  I hadn’t thought they were particularly necessary, but I was at a dinner party a couple weeks ago and the host served the wine in beautiful wine carafes.  Everyone at the table ooh’ed and ahh’ed it.  However, on the inside I was blushing.  I’d never served my wine in a carafe, and I could tell that these people, the same that I often had over at my house, obviously felt it was important.

The History Of Wine Carafes

As soon as I got home, I sat down at the computer and started looking at wine carafes.  It turns out they actually have a pretty interesting history.  They’ve of course been used for a very long time, but their form and material have changed multiple times.  Originally, wine carafes were filled from larger containers and then used for tableside service.  The Romans were the first to start using glass wine carafes.  When the Roman Empire fell, metals and earthenware carafes become more standard due to the scarcity of glass.  The Renaissance reintroduced glass carafes in the modern form we still see today.

Finding The Most Beautiful Wine Carafes

After learning about the history of wine carafes, I was even more adamant to have one or two for my next dinner party.  In addition to their appearance, I now had an interesting conversation piece.  The first wine carafe I considered was the Sagaform wine carafe with oak stopper.  It was beautifully shaped with a wide round base and narrow neck with a flare at the mouth.  The wide base allows room for the wine to breath and the narrow neck concentrates the aromas.  The very attractive oak stopper is a sphere which fits snugly into the mouth to limit exposure to the air.  I was pretty excited since everyone who had bought it gave it top reviews.  They all said they got a lot of positive comments when they used it at parties.  I was definitely considering this wine carafe.

However, my attention was drawn by another amazingly attractive carafe.  The Rochere Bee Décor carafe would also make a great aesthetic addition to my table.  It has a classic French design and a 33-ounce capacity with bee engravings circling the middle.  Because it is narrower than other wine carafes, it has a thick flared bottom for stability.  It’s also more durable, too.  The glass is thicker so that it can be safely used on a regular basis and even put in the dishwasher for cleaning.  I knew that this wine carafe would get me a lot of positive comments as well.

In the end I couldn’t decide which I liked more, and just bought both.  I’ve been flipping a coin to decide which one I’d use at parties.  So far I’ve gotten a huge amount of positive comments.  If you are looking for something to spice up your wine a bit, wine carafes would make a great choice.