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

October 19, 2006

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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

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  1. February 20, 2007

    TommyBoBo of WI

    Riedel tasting in Minneapolis 6 years ago,, room of 50 skeptics,, blew everyone of us away. Took the tasting home to my wife and another couple, neither of which are big into wine,,, and without telling them which glass was best for which wine,, all three of them picked the glass that went with the wine!! bordeaux, Pinot, sauv blanc and chardonnay. I’ve been hooked since. But I’m going to try my Shiraz out of Burgundy glasses now that JOEL OF KYOTO mentioned it. tks

  2. February 3, 2007

    Joel in Kyoto

    gary…good work..once you try the test it becomes obvious. personally, i use the bordeaux and the burgundy glasses more than other glasses for reds…i find the syrah glass brings out (like you said) more acidity….it may be better suited to rhones than auz shiraz’s. but here’s a kicker: i am enjoying my big auz wines out of the burgundy glass these days!……..go ahead, try it….less acidity, less green-ness (read: bitter), more evolved, rounded and balanced in the burg glass (after SEVERAL HOURS decanting of course) in short: more complexity to my palate at least……i am gonna test drive a new release 04 kalleske greenock shz today with a bud and will taste it out of both glasses again…..lots of fun.

    joel

  3. February 3, 2007

    Corrado

    Having found WLTV only recently, I’ve been looking through back episodes to get GaryV’s views on some of my ‘hotbutton’ issues.

    I did not need to be convinced of the importance of wine glasses. I’m not a wine snob; in fact I’m still quite a novice in the wide world of wine. The best evidence I can present that glasses make a difference is that I’ve put friends and family to the test who think that notion is BS. My standard MO is to take something like a Chateau Souverain Cabernet and pour similar amounts into a 16oz pint glass, a crystal ‘wine glass (V-shaped), a Chardonnay glass (e.g. Spiegleau Vino Grande), and a Bordeaux (or Burgundy; I only got Bordeaux recently) glass of similar quality to the Chardonnay glass.

    I let the guests taste in any order for the first round, but require them to go in order for the second tasting, either pint->Red or Red->pint. After the second round, I have them taste the opposite end one final time. Keep in mind, these are people who don’t claim to be wine aficionados and who don’t think glasses make a differnce. I haven’t found a single person YET who doesn’t walk away convinced that glasses affect taste.

    As far as purchasing stemware, I have my ‘party’ glasses that are very generic, glass red & white glasses, I have my ‘guest’ glasses that are Speigleau Vino Grande Burgundy and Chardonnay stemware, and I have a growing collection of Mondavi Waterford HUGE glasses that I use when it’s ‘just us’ drinking wine @ home.

    I agree 100% that **THE** glass to have to have is the Bordeaux. It’s a great jack-of-all-trades glass that can adequately serve Cab, Shiraz, Merlot, Fume Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay…

    There should be a section of WLTV that’s ‘educational programs’ where things like glasses (111), palate training (148), decanting (18), and other shows where the focus is more on building skills than tasting the wine(s) du jour are covered.

  4. January 29, 2007

    J Crazy

    I live in Japan and there are 100 yen(99 cent) stores all over the place. Of course, I love wine so I picked up a bunch of “wine glasses” from the 99cent store and had been drinking wine out of them for about a year. Then my wife and I started attending a wine seminar at a local wine shop. The store sells all the glasses you showcased on this episode. One day I asked the owner of the shop if wine glasses really made a difference and he kinda chuckled at me, especially when I told him I had been drinking out of 99 cent store glasses. I bought the Bordeaux glasses and the Borgogne glasses and Jesus! After that my wife and I decided to become crusaders against 99 cent store wine glasses and hosted a wine tasting party to spread the word. We blind tasted a 1998　Brunello　Di Montalcino Lisini, a 2005　Maximo (great Spanish wine produced by Baron De Ley), and an Eos 2002 Zin from Cali. Needless to say, at the end of the night we all jumped online and everyone who didn’t already have the glasses at home purchased them.

  5. January 22, 2007

    thomas korent

    Hi,

    I have a little opinion of my own here: the glass does make a difference, but only on the same date you taste the wine. I’ve had 5 bottles of the exact same wine over an 8 months period and the “glasses” changed substantially – because I always brought it as a present to a party. I’ve had it out of plastic glasses and paper cups (to disguise it in public locations) and proper Riedel Vinum Series. It tasted different every time. But I found the difference from plastic or paper cup to proper Riedel was less dramatic than the difference between normal bottle size and Magnum bottle and the additional ageing that the (relatively young) wine had had over those 8 months. Bottom line: choose your glass wisely, ok. But make sure you’re choosing when to pour the juice just as properly.

  6. October 30, 2006

    Armando from Philly

    Gary,

    Been watching for a while — great stuff. This is my FIRST comment! Recently attended a Reidel-sponsored seminar where we tried wines in a Reidel glass and also a “decent quality” tasting glass (like typically used in restaurants & wineries) and was BLOWN AWAY by the difference. Made converts out of all the attendees. Definitely worth the investment IMHO, if you are serious about truly enjoying the total wine experience. Cheers,

    AP

  7. October 27, 2006

    JayZee

    Gary,

    What was with that last comment? Tongue in cheek? Actually, that was truly a great episode. I have had manye experiences, such as those posted here by others, where I have tasted a wine I was familiar with in a wrongly-shaped glass at a restaurant and it made a HUGE difference. I agree with the subtlety issue. I think the biggest difference is the aroma which, as you say, is a BIG part of wine tasting. We have basically two types of glasses at home: Reidel “everyday” red glasses (Bordeaux type) and white glasses (white burgundy type) and then we have 6 of the Reidel Vinum Bordeaux Gran Cru glasses (the “Big Boys” as my lovely wife calls them). We also have Reidel Port glasses for, well, Ports. We find that this pretty much covers everything we drink pretty well. I have thought about getting some Syrah glasses since we do drink a good bit of Syrah, but I think you have convinced me that there is not a big enough difference to merit that purchase.

    QOD#2: No, you will never get tired of the Jets even if they DO manage to win a Super Bowl in your lifetime. Hey, how about those Knicks? :-)

    - JayZee

  8. October 23, 2006

    Christos Maninos

    The Shape of the wine glass and the bowl will certianly affect the taste and aroma of wine.

  9. October 22, 2006

    parsimoniouspat

    MarkT–Please tell me: Where can one order a personal spit bucket? I’m assuming that it has some sort of handle or strap or something to facilitate being carrying it around? I just went to a tasting in St. Louis this past weekend and it was so crowded around the tables that I had a really hard time getting over to the dump buckets….so I ended up swallowing more wine that I would have otherwise (some of it wasn’t all that great, and I would have rather dumped it given the opportunity. I got a bit drunk! Which meant that I then had to go to a nearby restaurant for a couple of hours and dry out before I could drive home. So, I think that having a personal dump bucket is a great idea. I also think that a small Nalgene bottle attached via carabiner to one’s hip (for holding some water for rinsing) would be a good idea, because the place that I went did not have water available for rinsing the tasting glass. And sometimes the water is all gone, even if they do provide water….

  10. October 21, 2006

    sheila

    A great wine glass does make the difference…however, I am always amazed that every wine tastes good in a regular glass when you are in Italy…

  11. October 21, 2006

    mikep

    Gary

    Interesting episode.Great Now I have to build more cabinet space to hold glasses. Nice Tie don’t spill anything on it. What is with the Dwight bobble head doll (love the Office)? I heard your comment about the open bottle in the car recently my wife and I were in Mass. ordered a bottle of wine with dinner and didn’t finish it when we were ready to leave they recorked the bottle and according to Mass. law sealed it in a plastic bag that once sealed would have to destroyed to get the wine out also had to attach dinner check showing wine purchase date and the rules were printed on bag pertaining to transport in your vehichle. Just thought it was interesting. Have a great day

  12. October 21, 2006

    Beetz

    Gary,
    A GREAT episode.
    I have done similar tastings with different glassware & there is a difference..
    I use the Reidel Syrah glasses for my reds, I’m a big guy & these are the largest glasses in the vinum series.
    I have not had the Hansel but I did have the 2004 Caymus at your Super tasting. The wine showed all the flavours you talked about. It was also at the same table as Darioush 2003 Cabernet, huge massive wine with lots of cinnamon, & the 2002 Pine Ridge Stags Leap Cabernet, elegant, refined & just this side of perfect. The only problem was the glasses. Can we have better glasses next year?

  13. October 21, 2006

    GeneV

    Chris,

    I’m not related to Gary. I’m almost 2000 miles away.

    Rob M.–Don’t get me wrong, I own and love a set of 28oz Burg glasses and 26oz Bord glasses. They really make a difference with wines with bouquets that are up to filling them. However, IMHO, for most “school night wines,” a 4 ounce pour of anything but pinot gets lost and diluted in 28 or more ounces of air, and unfortunately there are more “school nights” than weekends. For some reason, I find more pinot noir wines benefit more from a large burg glass than other varietals.

    For weekend wines, other than delicate old wines, we use the bigger glases, but I usually taste from the 13oz Chianti glass first. With a great wine, the difference can be huge. One interesting set of glasses we use are the Schott Zwiesel mature wine glases. These really concentrate the nose of a delicate old (>20years) Bordeaux or Rioja into your nose, and you can swish and swirl endlessly. If you sniff a young 15.5% New World wine in this glass, you will open up your sinuses.

  14. October 20, 2006

    Noah Rosenblum

    Quote of the day:

    “There can be no bargain without wine.” – Latin saying

  15. October 20, 2006

    KAHUNA

    Oh yeah I named my dog Thundarr when I was in the sixth grade- even though she was a female that was 1982-ugh

  16. October 20, 2006

    KAHUNA

    Gary,
    Sorry forgot about the HE-MAN mention- We we Thundarr the Barbarian Fans -Princess Ariel certainly had it in all the right places!

    The year 1994: From out of space comes a runaway
    planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon,
    unleashing cosmic destruction. Man’s civilization is
    cast in ruin.

    Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn…

    A strange new world rises from the old: a world of
    savagery, super science, and sorcery. But one man
    bursts his bonds to fight for justice! With his companions
    Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength,
    his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the
    forces of evil.

    He is Thundarr, the Barbarian!

  17. October 20, 2006

    KAHUNA

    Sorry about the big UNOAKED but thats how I refer to it even though it is lightly oaked.

  18. October 20, 2006

    KAHUNA

    CGF,
    It was the 2005 and I think it was a pretty good match- It was different for sure especially since most Reislings/Gewurt’s I drink are from Washington/Germany. I would drink it again it certainly got better on the second glass as I am notorious for popping and pouring so the first glass was a little tight.

    The crab meat is so sweet you could easily get away with a Pinot-
    Next time I am splurging all the way around and going with the UNOAKED Chardonay Reserve from Plumpjack 2004- It is the finest white wine I have had. Very light Oak 35% oaked the rest was stainless steel – only the oak portion was allowed to malo- I do not drink many chard’s I do love unoaked chards though. This one has a great balance

  19. October 20, 2006

    SS Chris

    STALLION,

    I think I saw you worked at NVC on your MySpace page.

    Do you want me to order a Dwight for you??

  20. October 20, 2006

    cgf

    Kahuna,
    what vintage for the Dr. Frank’s and what did you think?
    Was it a good food match, or would you have paired the wine or the food with something different second time around?

  21. October 20, 2006

    Brandon M

    droooool

  22. October 20, 2006

    KAHUNA

    Going out to eat- I agree with the home meal- I am an avid cook myself. I do feel going out to eat is important though- It helps expand your taste for food and what new ingrediants to try at home- Just take one visit to Felidia’s in NYC and do the food and wine pairing and if you are brave let them pick the whole menu-It is a great experience!

    Every time we go out to eat we generally chat with a table close by, waiter, sommelier or owner. This always gives us the best wine and food tips around. I am never afraid to ask a chef or owner where he eats when not at his place- Of course in NYC its Blue Ribbon for all chefs. I find all this worth the extra $ spent on wine.

    That being said here is a tip for any seafood lover- order from http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/
    they have REAL wild Salmon several variaties and the best KING CRAB-real stuff you will not find in most high end restaurants- They run spelials all the time that is the way to go- Get on their mailing list.

    Last night I had their King Crab I took out of the shell with their scallops and shrimp in a butter (Cabot Brand), Tuscan olive oil, garlic sauce tossed with fettucine and cilantro and parsley topped with Ricotta Salata(dry salted ricotta, this is not the soft cheese)- A great meal – We had a Finger Lakes region wine – Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Reisling -My first Finger Lakes Reisling

  23. October 20, 2006

    Brandon M

    TampaSteve..Absolutely agree. Denyce and I love eating in when were on vacation. It slows down the meal and lets you enjoy the souroundings a little more.

    B

  24. October 20, 2006

    TampaSteve

    Rob, I got news for you, I have found the “eating in” even works well on vacation. Now don’t get me wrong I love a good restaurant but sometimes I just love a good wine better. My wife and I toured Tuscany for 2 weeks this summer. First trip without the kids. In any case several times we just went to a deli, got some super nice cheese, prosciutto and bread and would pick up a very nice Brunello and just sit outside and have a romantic quiet dinner by ourselves…it was wonderfull. A couple of weekends ago we took off to Disney Vero Beach for the weekend (with the kids of course) and ate out the first night at a very nice restaurant. Second night we ordered pizza and drank a nice bottle of wine (from Wine Library of couse) and sat by the ocean. The kids played and my wife and I enjoyed it more than the first night dining out that cost us over $100 for dinner.

  25. October 20, 2006

    Eugene

    Matthew L, Rob M

    Target sells wine series glasses, which are lower grade than the vinum.

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