Wine Glasses, How Do They Affect Wine? – Episode #111

October 19, 2006

Twitter This Share on Facebook Email This

Wines tasted in this episode:

Today Gary tackles a very important topic that many people discuss and debate at a fever pitch in the wine industry. Gary grabs two great wines and attacks this subjuct head first, please join in the discussion and let us know what you think. Also this is tell your friends thursday. Pass the WLTV word around!

229 Responses

Pages: « 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 [2] 1 » Show All

  1. October 19, 2006

    craig

    Thanks for doing this episode Gary. Seems like you made it jsut for me since I emailed this very question today! My experience had been with a $2 glass from Ikea that had a similar shape to a Riedel Bordeaux glass that I have. It made a HUGE difference and sold me on why I wanted to have more than 1 glass for every use.!

  2. October 19, 2006

    Tony

    I’d have to go back and watch again, but it did seem that you liked the pinot in the Burgundy glass best, and the cab in the Bordeaux glass best. Vindication for the designer at Riedel, I guess.

    As someone else already asked, are you going to start tasting wines in the “right” glass from now on? Most of us probably don’t have a full set of Riedels, so I’m wondering how helpful that would be for us. Probably just make us jealous.

  3. October 19, 2006

    joe

    Gary, great episode…I think I requested this in the first dozen episodes!

    My first experience with glasses was 1999. We Invited my best buddy & wife to dinner who brought this Riedel Grand Cru Burgundy glasses with them because they knew we would serve wine out of Waterfold Leaded Crystal glasses that we got as a wedding present. He insisted we pour the same wine (it might have been a Heitz Cab) into both glasses and try them side by side. Wow, what a difference. The big thick Waterfords muted the taste and smell of the wine. The huge Riedels made that wine sing – if was like I was tasting wine for the first time. I not only became hooked on a good wine glass – - but the experience got me hooked on wine also and I became an enthusiast.

    And it was obvious that you believe too…..(despite your last comment)…because when you open a very very special wine for tasting – you always to go the BIG GRAND-Daddy to drink it in.

    ALso, I think the wine glass makes a bigger difference in the tasting experience if you consume it “normally” (as you would at dinner) rather than how you swish it about like you do for a critical review.

    Joe.

  4. October 19, 2006

    Karen

    hahahahaha! really good garyv. :)

    i’ve been holding this in (and i’m usually too busy to justify taking the time to do this commenting thing but that was too amusing to resist) but with all the chatter previously about who’s cute, madison, gary’s brother, and of course with lizv sticking up for her man, i have to add my two bits because there have to be some of you yanks who’ve seen this fellow (maybe in the movie “just friends”?).

    http://www.cornergas.com/whoswho/?bio=2

    fred ewanuik is cute, for the same reason garyv is, because he’s funny and disarming ….(it’s a funny show too…, you know, like, for canada, eh?…)

    700 eh? wow, that is amazing…

  5. October 19, 2006

    hinrgman

    QOD 2

    Gary I guess you run the risk of losing interest in the Jets if they don’t win a super bowl.

    Luckily they already won one during my lifetime

  6. October 19, 2006

    Big Billy from Big D

    Clearly a ringingly good episode!
    Pun intended

    As a matter of observation I don’t think you needed every step up the Riedel line to make the point. Probably Chablis, Pinot, Bordeaux would have done it. Still very informative. For those who don’t think those big balloons don’t funnel fragrance – try a shot of brandy in one of those big boys, the alcohol will blow the back of your head out.(figuratively speaking)

    The glass really is about the nose, and appearance, as Gary concluded.

    Last year I bought a six pack of the Schott Zweisel Tritan glasses (Cabernet) with 24 oz capacity. The glasses are touted as nearly unbreakable, because they are not lead crystal (they’re titanium). We finally broke the stem on one when it got in a bind. We wash them in the dishwasher. They look like a more expensive glass, but don’t have the high harmonic ring of lead crystal. Instead you get a more muted flat ring or bong (watch out dead-heads). In short we have loved them. You can find them at IWA in 6 packs for about $60. The only reason I even plugged them is WL doesn’t seem to sell glasses on-line.

    Chin chin

  7. October 19, 2006

    wey

    Great great great episode! Now my friends can stop calling me a fool because I want the right glass for my wine(s) :D

    My favorite allround glass (also for whites!) is a combination of a bordeaux/burgundy type glass. It’s like a bordeaux glass, but slightly wider at the bottom.

    You go Gary V.

  8. October 19, 2006

    SeanM

    Interesting:

    Are you going to use the ‘correct’ glass for your tastings from now on? Does this affect the ratings of any of the wines you’ve tasted so far for WLTV?

  9. October 19, 2006

    zerokreap (kw)

    mossman was awesome! this was a great episode…i thought their would be a difference…and i say that because i have had the same wine out of different glasses…and although it is a subtle difference, i have experienced it as well and know what you are talking about. i have had good wines out of bordeaux glasses, burgundy, and plastic cups…oddly enough i find that the plastic solo cup is the best for good wine…it is better than your cheaper, clear cups….why would i drink wine out of such a cup….well, because i go to a lot of parties where carrying around a wine glass would be both overkill, out of place, and in general just not a good idea. as far as glasses…i like the bordeaux glass most often. now i think i need the burgundy and others…
    thanks

  10. October 19, 2006

    K Spengler

    Gary, really enjoyed this episode, very educational. Good thing my friends don’t notice the subtlties of the “wrong” (oops) glass, since it’s not even remotely possible I buy eight different shaped glasses for entertaining. They just assume whatever we’re serving is pretty darn good, thanks to my WLTV “wine guy”.
    As for your QOD p.2: Maybe your one of those guys who only enjoys the chase/quest. Once conquered, you lose interest….nah, probably not.
    Keep up the good work

  11. October 19, 2006

    Bill T.

    Great episode, Gary! Very educational.

  12. October 19, 2006

    Brad Coelho

    Loved the BYOB tip w/ the funnel, very clever! A tactic I’ve been using to salvage wine is dumping the reamining wine from an unfinished bottle into a half bottle to cut down on the air-wine ratio, keeping it away from oxygen (it usually lasts another day or so w/o getting those ‘nutty, tired’ characteristics)
    Speaking of BYOB, the last restaurant I went into w/ a corkage fee in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, brought me to the wine glass issue. “The Queen’s Hideway” restaurant, solid food, lousy glassware…no stems, just straight up scotch-esque glasses. None of the hipsters seemed to care, but these are the biggest PBR fans in the world so that wasn’t a surprise. Anyways, the wine (a ‘01 Alion, from the producers of Vega Sicilio’s Unico) was awful. I had previously had it in Bordeaux stemwear and it was unreal, ridiculously sweet berries, silky and powerful. In the scotch glass, harsh/coarse tannins, bitter and not nearly enough fruit to cover the astringency.
    I am in full agreement. Great show….by the way Gary, what’s up w/ the random lizard references?!

  13. October 19, 2006

    C Shell

    Gary,

    Nice episode. Very practical!!

    Uh…why are you dressed like The Riddler from Batman?

  14. October 19, 2006

    mbeck

    Another great episode Gary. Now, when I run out of the correct glasses when I have company, I might feel a little guilty….. as well as making sure I, personally, have the correct one. Guess it pays to be the hostess so you can get your glass early :)

  15. October 19, 2006

    Kahuna

    Next I would like to see an episode in which you break each glass and see which glass is the easiest to clean up. This would be why I do not use good wine glasses for dinner parties. I can handle breaking my own glass but when 2 or 3 go down during a party- then I have a problem.

  16. October 19, 2006

    Kahuna

    QOD Part2- The only way that happens in football- Giants(2 SUPER BOWL VICTORIES) for me will be when the NFL starts showing commercials in between every play(coming soon) or it becomes two hand touch on the quaterback(almost there also). They should allow teams to spend what the want on back up quaterbacks so they are not part of the Salary cap. This way we can get back to watching the game I grew up playing and watching.

  17. October 19, 2006

    Eyeguy

    We were out boating and had 8 people aboard. Unfortunately, we only had 6 Reidels (not sure which variety) and had to use 2 acrylic wine glasses. Really surprised by the difference!

    Great episode – thanks!

    Rich

  18. October 19, 2006

    Tony

    QOD: Personally, I thinks you’re nuts. But I trust your palette, so I don’t know what to think. I know I’m not going to buy 8 sets of Riedel glasses.

    QOD part 2: The Jets will never win a Super Bowl in your lifetime. But if they do, you will love them even more than before. Gary, your blood flows green, so I don’t think you’ll ever stop loving the Jets.

  19. October 19, 2006

    Kahuna

    God I suck at spelling!

  20. October 19, 2006

    Susan

    Gary-
    Great episode!!!
    Education is always the BEST choice!!!!!!!
    :)

  21. October 19, 2006

    Kahuna

    I have done a similar test Yes the glass makes a difference- I have a few Sommelier glasses from reidel and I have the same glass in non Somm. series and even then there is a difference.

    GO GARY people always think I am nuts or being a wine ahole when I say to use the right glass- Hence I don’t say it at all anymore. I find the Bordeaux or Burgendy to be the best standard for most reds

  22. October 19, 2006

    Joe

    Yes, I agree with Tony.
    The focus has become too much about tasting and not enough about learning. This is a very strong episode, with a very good focus. Hope to see more like it.

  23. October 19, 2006

    Tony

    Do you think the differences are due to differeneces in the rates of evaporation and gassing out of volatile components and alcohol, or due to the difference in size and shape of the head space in the glass, or ???

    I wouldn’t think that the taste would chance that much, so I’m really surprised.

  24. October 19, 2006

    hinrgman

    thanks

  25. October 19, 2006

    Tony

    Yeah, Gary, this is one epsiode I’ve really wanted to see! This is what WLTV should be all about!

    I decant and “rebottle” wines all the time when going to a restaurant.

Pages: « 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 [2] 1 » Show All

Leave a Reply