Window shopping: Get the best out of your favourite vintage

Having a glass of wine with dinner is almost as everyday in Britain as it is in France. A recent International Wine and Spirits Research study shows annual UK wine sales have reached about 140 million cases. We may enjoy our wine but few of us ever give much thought to the glass we choose; one wine glass is much the same as another, right? Well, perhaps not.

French glass specialist Baccarat this week launched a tulip-shaped glass that it says will revolutionise the way we taste wine, its slim body designed to keep the scent trapped in the glass.

Hugues Lepin, head sommelier at London's Connaught Hotel, says the choice of glass is "essential" as its design brings out flavours, develops spiciness, and softens tannins or breaks the acidity. "A wider, larger glass is usual for red wine but if you want the wine to keep freshness, it's best to use a narrower glass," Lepin says.