Wine drinkers tend to fall into three categories when it comes to stemware. Firstly, there are those that simply do not care. The glass is a delivery system for wine and nothing more. A wine glass, tumbler, plastic cup or simply straight from the bottle, the glass is irrelevant. The pleasure comes from the drinking. Unpretentious and fun.
Next we have the stylist. Wine glasses for these drinkers are an extension of their personality or the image they wish to project. We often see planet sized stemware of fine cut crystal, meant to impress the room as much as the wine will. Others use coloured bowls or patterns, these are all about fun. Wine glasses can say a lot about a person, apparently. A comment on the glasses is as valuable as a compliment on the food and wine.
Finally, the wine enthusiast. When restrained, the average drinker might note the glasses, perhaps different shapes and styles. The host might carefully deliver specific wine to specific glasses with a deft subtlety. They allow the guests to enjoy the wine however they choose. At their pretentious worse, the connoisseur host will offer a masterclass on the virtues of stemware and their importance. Usually followed by a long and flowery commentary on the wine matched to the specific detailed glass; and everyone tunes out. The wine is good, but the company…
The truth is, stemware matters, but only if the wine matters. Good wine can be enjoyed in any glass, and if your end goal is sharing wine with friends and a convivial time, the glass is irrelevant. When it comes to good wine, and especially great wine, which is to be enjoyed for the pure pleasure found in the wine, stemware does matter.
Different shaped stemware delivers wine to the senses differently. The wide open bowl of the Burgundy glass allows Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo the surface area to express its nuances. Conversely, the slimmer, cone shaped bowl of the Bordeaux glass funnels the aromas of Cabernet and Merlot to the nose, expressing the bouquet in its fullest. The science supports it, and for me personally, as far as aroma profile goes, it makes a difference.
There is also an argument for the bowl shape delivering the wine to the mouth in a particular stream that is specific for the variety, however, I just don’t have the palate for such subtleties.
I am mindful of confirmation bias as I type this. The people who study the brain have shown us time and again, we have a tendency to believe what we think is true. Is the brain already convinced the glass will make a difference? Is the glass making the difference or is my mind fulfilling my bias?
Austria seems to be the glass epicentre. The benchmark of stemware, Riedel and Zalto, are both made there. Both these crystal stemware producers offer a range of stemware that is variety specific. For Riedel, they also offer a range of glasses, Vinum, Sommelier, Professional, each with their own varietal glass. Budget and storage is your only constraint once you start down this rabbit hole.
For those of us with pockets that are not infinitely deep, there is a middle ground to be found. Make no mistake, Zalto and Riedel crystal stemware is expensive, even the machine made entry level Vinum range from Riedel is costly. Worse, they are fragile. I have lost count of the number of Zalto and Vinum glasses I have broken washing them.
Personally, the middle ground for me is two glasses in the Riedel Vinum range. The Bordeaux and the Burgundy. While the Zalto equivalents might be superior, they are both more fragile and more expensive. For the price sensitive wine drinker, Vinum will deliver.
The Burgundy glass is ideal for, well Burgundy, but also lends itself well to Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo and Beaujolais. The other grape varieties sit well in the Bordeaux. From Shiraz to Cabernet, this glass is now your all rounder. I even use it for white wines. These two glasses will deliver a noticeable change in your aromatics, and if you do not break them as regularly as I do, offer affordable stemware for those who appreciate wine.
We left all our stemware in Australia when we relocated to Malaysia. I have since purchased two Riedel Vinum Bordeaux glasses which have served me well. I started tracking down a pair of Burgundy glasses when I was drawn back to Zalto. A friend had sourced them in Singapore at a reasonable rate and I was about to order when some chatter over social media caught my attention.
The Zalto distributor also had the Austrian made Gabriel glas available. The social media conversation was positive about this mystery third player. If I could join a buying group who were ordering a case of twelve, the price would be well below the Riedel Vinum. I got cold feet when the statement ‘one glass is suitable for all wines’ line was repeated. Regardless, it was tempting.
I ended up with four, though I ordered two. Language barrier perhaps? We opened a 2014 Proprieta Franceshi Il Poggione Brunello Di Montalcino that evening. A wine that would require time in the glass to open up and hard work to bring out aromatics. A wine where stemware mattered.
True to the rumours, the Gabriel glas out performed the Vinum. The wine opened more quickly and the aromas were delivered more obviously. I can’t speak for the delivery to the palate, it has never been something I have noticed from any glass.
Aesthetically, I still prefer the Riedel. It sits in the hand more comfortably and is cut from a finer crystal. The robustness of the Gabriel might be a blessing if I do not break them as often. For me, aesthetics come second to performance, making Gabriel my first preference right now.
In the interest of transparency, I have not tried the Gabriel with a Burgundy or a Barbaresco to see if it delivers on its promise of ‘one glass suits all wines’. I will update the blog when I have had the opportunity.
The picture below shows the Gabriel glass on the left, the Riedel Vinum Bordeaux on the right.
Facebook: Grant Griffin
Instagram: @ggriffo374
Twitter: @VinesWalking