Hock wine glasses have a long stem and a small bowl that is more shallow than regular wine glasses.
One can easily distinguish these glasses are the size is pretty much the same for all hock glasses. Some hock glasses come with engravings and some in different colors.
Hock glasses are recommended for hock wine or young sweet wine:
Here Is Why Wines Each Use Special Glasses:
Wines are best with their paired wine glasses. This is because the shape and size enhance the flavors and the aroma, which can vary from one wine to another. This is why hock wine or young sweet wine also needs their own glasses.
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What Do You Serve in a Hock Wine Glass?
Hock wine glasses are normally used to serve young, sweet wine.
Young wines are normally a year old. This means that they have been in the bottle for one year. Different wines have different aging windows.
The average red wine takes about 5 years to the age, while the average white wine takes about 3 years. The more expensive ones take even 25 years.
This wine glass has a shape that puts the wine on specific taste buds on your tongue, allowing you to taste its new sweetness.
How Are Hock Wine Glasses Different?
Hock glasses used to be larger. Back in the day, hock glasses could hold 1/4 liter of wine.
They originally used hock glasses for German white wine. Their size was attributed to the fact that German wines were not high in alcohol content, so a big serving per glass seemed fair.
Eventually, hock glasses evolved into smaller, fashionable glasses with long stems and small bowls.
Hock glasses nowadays can be distinguished by their size and shape, but mostly because of their look. If you Google images of hock glasses, most of them would have engravings or intricate designs etched into them.
Some hock glasses even come in different colors. Hock glasses used to have a clear bowl, but now, they come in different, some even bold, colors.
This perhaps was to disguise the color of the wine to hide the fact that they are young wine and make them seem older.
Why is it Called “Hock” Wine Glasses?
Hock is the old-fashioned term for German white wine.
The flagship wine of Germany is called Riesling, which takes zero to five years to age. With the specific size and shape, these glasses were used to serve Riesling.
Hock glasses have become a household term in the wine industry and are generally used for young, sweet wine.
When Was the Term “Hock” Wine Introduced?
Hock is the shortened term for Hochhiemer or wine from Hochheim am Main.
It was after the German town of Hochheim. This town is known for the successful wines it has produced.
Hochhiemer was used in the 17th century for white wines, primarily Riesling. In the 18th century, the British started using “hockamore” for any Germain white wine sold in Britain.
Eventually, it was then shortened to “hock.”
What Does Hock Wine Taste Like?
Hock wine tastes sweeter compared to other types of wine. They are medium-sweet with a fruity taste. It has a fuller taste, with flavors of ripe exotic fruits.
White wines are also sweet but more crisp and dry. They have a fruity flavor but more citrus rather than ripe.
Compared to white wine, hock wine has a bolder taste. Plus, unlike white wines that only go to certain foods, hock wines go well with most kinds of food.
Hock glasses are nice to have as they let out hock wine’s full flavors. That being said, while it is nice to have a type of glass for every type of wine, it may be impractical to do so for a regular household.
You can still enjoy hock wines in regular wine glasses. In fact, with all these wine types and wine glasses, you only have two in your household as a rule of thumb.
You need glasses to serve sparkling wines, and you need glasses that would go well with red and white wines.