KEY POINTS:
With the gift-giving season upon us, glassware features heavily on many a Christmas list. But before you buy those pretty little pink glasses for a wine loving friend, or chunky cut crystal, be warned - your choice of glass can make a real impact on the way a wine tastes.
It's something that's difficult to appreciate unless you've had the opportunity to try the same wine out of a variety of glasses. This is why Georg Riedel, of Austrian glassmaker Riedel, has been travelling the world for decades hosting wine glass masterclasses to prove just how important a glass's parameters are and how these can even be honed to suit individual styles.
It was Georg's father, Claus who first recognised that the shape of a wine glass held such a power over the expression of its contents. Fifty years ago he designed the first glass tailor-made to suit a grape variety, the Grande Burgundy for pinot noir, a monster of a glass with a 1050ml capacity that is still in production today.
Its generous proportions highlight one of the important points when selecting stemware; size is definitely important. Tiny glasses make the swirling required to release aromas out of a decent sized pour nigh on impossible. For me, 350ml is the minimum volume for a wine glass - which should be poured to around a third full - and ideally larger for reds that require more aeration.
Shape is also crucial, with a tapering bowl helping concentrate aromas - something particularly pertinent to aromatic whites and more perfumed reds. Clarity is another consideration. If you want to appreciate a wine's colour, avoid opaque, frosted or tinted vessels in favour of plain crystal, which is more reflective. Its thin lip also delivers a better flow of wine across the palate.
It was around a decade ago that I attended my first Riedel master class. I admit I approached with a degree of scepticism, thinking I smelled a whiff of marketing spin. However, after experiencing how wines blossomed or were repressed in different glasses I was convinced that in the same way great music sounds so much better through a 5.1 surround sound system rather than a tinny boom box, good wine can truly be enhanced when drunk out of a decent receptacle.
Riedel's range now comprises glasses designed to bring out the best in a huge array of styles and varieties, from those from the region of Alsace to the grape Zinfandel, with the recently launched Vitis range specifically developed to complement fruitier New World styles. However for most folk a set of good standard glasses will suffice, with the Ouverture Magnum, now used at a number of wine competitions, a good all-rounder.
Riedel is not the only company to make glasses worthy of great wines. Other shining examples can be found from Zerutti - with its Ultimo Taster glasses an excellent multipurpose option - or Spiegelau's Authentis range.
German glass company Eisch also recently launched a "breathable glass", produced using a process that "oxygenates" the glass. This may sound a bit way out, but many experienced palates say it really does seem to aerate the wine as if it had been decanted.
It may only be purists who endeavour to match every wine with a specific glass, but choosing well-designed stemware can still certainly heighten the enjoyment experienced by those interested in getting the best out of their wine.
Clink clink
Fragrant and fruity
Drumsara Ventifacts Block Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007 $37
A glass with a larger wider-mouthed bowl coaxes the best out of a fragrant red like pinot noir. From up-and-coming Central Otago label Drumsara, this one is deliciously light and tangy with red cherry fruit over more complex gamey, savoury and spicy undertones.
From Vinotica Albany, Caro's, Glengarry, Liquorland.
Aromatic debut
Misha's Vineyard Central Otago The Gallery Gewurztraminer 2008 $25.95
Aromatic varieties like sauvignon blanc, riesling and gewurztraminer benefit from a more elongated and narrowly tapering glass. This is gewurz is one of the an impressive inaugural line up from Misha's Vineyard. It's fresh, has a subtle sweetness and is infused with delicate rose florals, lychee and exotic spices. From Fine Wine Delivery Company.
New wine from old vines
Stonecroft Old Vines Chardonnay 2007 $47
An oaked chardonnay like this works well in a similar, if shallower, glass to pinot noir. In this fine and intense example from 25-year-old vines, elegant peach and nectarine fruit and gently toasty spicy notes unfurl from a vibrant citrus mineral core.
From www.stonecroft.co.nz, Caro's, Fine Wine Delivery Co.
