In defence of the Flute

The flute has lost favour with wine lovers as well as some experts as a vessel for serving champagne. Most people agree that the flute’s shape is ideal for preserving the bubbles but the aromas get lost if you can’t swirl the champagne like with a fine still wine to release its bouquet. Others disagree.

According to Avery Gilbert, author of the book, “What the Nose Knows: The Science of Scent in Everyday Life”, the bursting bubbles release aroma enriched aerosol. “My take,” he says, “is that for the best aroma perception, you’d want to maximize the bubble flux through an air column with a cross-section similar to that of the nostrils. So I’d go with flute over tulip, and hands-down over coupe.”