Classic Wines

Wine Glasses - The Loud Speaker of Wine

Why spend $20-50 on a glass, when you could spend that money on a great wine instead? Well, you do this because the glass has a huge effect on how your nose and taste buds perceive the wine. I've always believed in this principle, but I had never seen how true it could be until tasting the Riedel Vitis line with Max Riedel at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

We tasted four wines in glasses specially designed to compliment specific varietals: A Cabernet Sauvignon in the Cabernet/Merlot glass, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling glass, a Chardonnay from the Montrachet glass and a Pinot Noir from the Pinot Noir glass. But we didn't just taste each wine from its respective glass; Max had us try the same wine in the other glasses as well as a plastic cup. Any wine drinker can tell you that there will be a difference between tasting from crystal and tasting from a plastic cup. With plastic, there is no bouquet and the wine seems very flat. But to my amazement, there was an equally large difference between the glass designed for a wine, and the others.

The Sauvignon Blanc we tasted from its appropriate glass offered a wonderfully bright aroma, coupled with sweet fruit and fine minerality on the palate. But when tasting this same wine out of the other glasses, a strong acidity came through on the palate, throwing off the balance. The reason being that the Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling glass was designed to have the wine hit the front of your tongue first - where you sense sweet. And not only did it taste better; the lack of acidity was also noticeable in my stomach.

Another surprise I received was finding out that the Pinot Noir glass is the same as the Montrachet glass, but the lip is one inch higher. But as Max said, "Sometimes, an inch can make all the difference in the world." And he was right. Where the smooth oaky notes of the Chardonnay were very full in the Montrachet glass, the Pinot Noir glass closed this flavor off. And conversely, the ripe fruit of the Pinot Noir that came out in the appropriate glass was lost in a vat of acidity in the Montrachet glass. The Cabernet Sauvignon we enjoyed in the Cabernet/Merlot glass was so different in the Pinot Noir glass; I couldn't believe it was the same wine. The tannins became too overbearing.

This workshop of glassware was important to me, both as a member of the wine industry and as a regular wine drinker. If a wine is in the wrong glass, how could someone truly say they tasted the wine? If using the wrong glass, could a person be able to give an accurate rating of that wine? If you're like me and normally have wine with food, these specialty glasses are almost a necessity. No one likes to have the acidity of their wine overtake the flavors of their dinners. And because these Vitis glasses balance the wine so well, they make it much easier to pair food and wine. I was able to serve my better half filet and scallops along with a 1999 Beringer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and it went wonderfully with both meat and fish.

So don't be afraid to drop a little green - it'll make your whites and reds all the better.

Randy Torban is the Director of Business Development and contributing editor at ClassicWines.com