Definition: coupe or flute

The debate raged between supporters of the coupe and die-hard fans of the flute. We deliberately use the past tense here, as the question should no longer arise. However, excellent gourmet restaurants still offer a glass of champagne served in flutes!

Everyone chooses their side, sharpens their arguments, praises the coupe for its aesthetics, the other for the flute's aromas. Let's get our ideas in order.

You have all noticed how unsuitable the coupe is for tasting Champagne. Yet we usually say, "I'll pour you a coupe" and very rarely "I'll pour you a flute of Champagne".

Legendhasitthat the first coupe was moulded on the left breast of the Marquise de Pompadour (Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour 1721 - 1764, favourite mistress of Louis XV).

Others claim that it was moulded from the breast of Marie Antoinette of Austria, Queen of France, wife of Louis XVI, who was guillotined during the French Revolution after a long period of captivity;

or Pauline Borghese (Napoleon's younger sister), without specifying which one!

In that case, the cup has a bright future ahead of it...

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, is said to have had a mould of her breast made by the artist

Jean-Jacques Lagrenée (the Younger - 1739-1821) to create a set for the queen's dairy at Rambouillet. Called a "breast bowl", the work is reproduced at the National Ceramics Museum in Sèvres and catalogued in detail. It was not used to drink champagne, but milk.

Nowadays, connoisseurs prefer to use a flute, as coupes are accused of losing the bouquet of champagne. Let us add that champagne is often drunk at cocktail parties by people who are standing and numerous. When you squeeze through the crowd with a glass of champagne in your hand, a little jostling and half the glass is on the floor or on your neighbour's dress!

The flute, which should not be too narrow, has the advantage of better preserving the effervescence and revealing its string of fine bubbles. Often, the beautiful flute has an effervescence point, a simple frosted spot at the bottom of the bowl where the bubbles originate, which is clearly visible in the image on the right. Slightly wider glasses are recommended for grand champagnes. The glass is easier to dry after washing.

In a flute, you can only drink in small sips, which is a way of making the pleasure last longer.

As for coupes, the only use you can make of them is for certain entremets, such as shrimp coupes, and for many fruit-based desserts, for example.

A whole history on the Internet at the following links: