You go in to a lovely restaurant and say "I'd like a glass of XYZ Pinot Noir, please."
When the waiter returns, you have a glass that has a thick stem, rolled rim and is filled to the brim!
Does the glass make a difference? You bet it does!
Over the years, I have attended many wine tastings and had wine in many restaurants. Some have great stemware, others, well, if the stemware is an indication of their culinary skills, I'd recommend running as fast as you can.
Glassware can make a major impact on the wine experience you will have. The best stemware is thin, with a cut rim (smooth to your fingers and not with a rolled top), clear and shaped well.
How many times have you gone to a wine event and fallen in love with the "pretty
blue tinted" champagne flute? As I said earlier, run as fast as you can!
A glass which is anything less than crystal clear will not allow you to enjoy
the color of the wine in the glass. The color can tell you so much, so why
"cloud it" with a glass that has been tinted? Now if you love that painted
glass as a painted glass, go ahead and buy it. They are very pretty and the
artists worked hard to produce them.
A rolled rim on a glass can stop your tastebuds like a locomotive trying to avoid Dudley Dooright and his girlfriend Nell. The rolled rim will act like a dam and back the wine up in the glass. Eventually, the wine will flood into you mouth drowning your palate with wine, rather than allowing the wine to flow onto your tastebuds in the best possible way.
At this point, you may be asking, "What should I buy?" There are many great choices and they come in a variety of prices.
You will want to look for a glass that is made from thin glass or, better yet, crystal. The stem should be thin and feel balanced in your hand. Some glassware may look great, but once you pick it up, it feels top heavy. Avoid those.
If you want to experience the best, buy glasses that are shaped for certain wines. In other words, buy a Chardonnay glass....a Burgundy glass....a Bordeaux glass ....a Chianti glass, etc.
Where do you find such stemware? Many local retailers carry Spieglau and Riedel stemware. Both of these brands are well known and respected. There are also “knock-off’s” out there that are also good choices.
You can find the perfect stemware in prices from $5 each to $100 each. Just remember the key points....thin glass or crystal, clear (without tinting or paint) and no rolled rim.
When dining out, you will find more restaurants paying attention to glassware. Both Riedel and Spieglau can be found in restaurants from high-end steakhouses, to Mom and Pop eateries. Restaurateurs in Portland, truly care about their guests overall experience. It is not unheard of for people to actually take their own glassware to restaurants. Riedel even makes a carry bag for such an instance. In the past, I have taken glassware to restaurants….especially when dining out with several friends when we know that we will be tasting several different varietals. We would each bring our own glassware to match the wines we would be tasting. Georg Riedel actually travels with his Sommelier Zinfandel glass….a shape that is truly an all purpose glass.
From 1998 to 2003, Riedel produced a series of champagne flutes that they dubbed
"millennium flutes". Each one had a different bowl and stem which reflected the
year the glass represented. These are very hard to find now. They came in black
tubes and had a retail cost of $35 each.
If you could find them today, they would probably cost $100 each or more. Each
glass was retired one year after it's production and the molds have all been
destroyed. Truly making these glasses collectors items.
One of ther best ways to check out the value of stemware is to attend a
"glass tasting". Most of these use the Riedel Vinum Tasting Set", a four
piece boxed set that includes one each of Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling, Montrachet/
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Bordeaux glasses. A "joker" glass is also used to
show you the difference between a rolled edge and a straight, cut edge.
I encourage you to attend a “glass tasting” in the future. You will see them advertised around the Portland area, usually in local wine shops, throughout the year. It is a fun way to see how a glass really can make a difference.
So, does the glass make a difference? Absolutely!
Until next time,
Cheers!