Quite a few years ago, I was browsing a favorite kitchenware store, and saw an advertisement for a Riedel wine glass tasting, featuring the Vinum Extreme line of glasses. I was beyond skeptical, but I trusted the owner of the store - who was hosting the event - and decided to buy tickets.
I walked in to the event thinking "This will be nothing but a sales pitch, but at least I get some wine out of it."
Was I wrong.
As I mentioned, we were tasting wine in the Vinum Extreme line of glasses, specifically Riesling/Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Vinum Extreme line - now just referred to as Extreme - was designed by Riedel to enjoy New World Wines.
Note: "New World Wines" refers to wines produced outside of the traditional wine making countries in Europe and the Middle East. Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and United States are all examples of countries producing New World Wines.
Each person at the tasting had a place setting with four Vinum Extreme wine glasses (numbered one through four), a water glass, and one tulip shaped glass that I believe was referred to as "The Joker". A lot of people have probably been served water or wine in this type of glass.
The person hosting the tasting - a sales representative from Riedel - introduced himself and explained the process. He pointed out that he would be pouring one wine at a time into our glasses, and to wait for instructions before drinking. The host also instructed us on the basics of wine tasting: look at the wine, sniff the wine, swirl the wine, sniff the wine again, taste the wine.
The first wine in our glass - a Riesling - was poured into glass number one. We went through look, sniff, swirl, sniff, taste. We talked as a group about our impressions. Then we were instructed to pour the contents of glass number one into the tulip shaped glass. Look, sniff, swirl, sniff, taste. The result? Wow. I felt like I could have been tasting anything -- including watered down wine. It didn't taste anything like what I tasted in glass number one. We poured the remaining contents back into glass number one to enjoy.
After the first wine, I wasn't convinced. I thought to myself "maybe this is a fluke". I knew it wasn't a magic trick because I was actually tasting the wine but I wasn't ready to believe it.
We progressed to an oaked Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir. The chardonnay and Pinot Noir glasses are similar in shape but the chardonnay has a wider opening at the top. We poured the chardonnay into glass number one -- the Riesling/Sauvignon Blanc -- and The Joker. Big difference. We poured the Pinot Noir into glass number four -- the Cabernet Sauvignon -- and The Joker. Again - I was amazed at what I was tasting. Or not tasting, when the wine was in the "wrong" glass.
By this point, I was pretty much convinced, but I was reserving final judgment until we tried the king - Cabernet Sauvignon. We started with the Cabernet Sauvignon in glass number four. Look, sniff, swirl, sniff again, taste. We poured it into The Joker and went through the tasting process.
I was finally convinced. We were instructed to pour the Cabernet Sauvignon into glass number three -- the Pinot Noir glass -- which I ignored because I wanted to enjoy the rest of the wine in the proper glass.
This tasting proved to me that the shape of the glass does matter. These glasses are designed to make sure the wine hits your tongue at the exact place it should.
That evening, everyone was able to purchase a four glass set at a discount. We purchased two sets. Over the years we've added to our varietal specific collection, including Bordeaux, Champagne, Ice Wine, Port, Sauternes, and Shiraz.
The downsides? You need a lot of space to store varietal specific glasses and it can be a considerable financial investment. They price per stem isn't cheap, and when you break your first glass it's a terrible feeling.
Lately, there is a trend towards a one size and shape fits all varietals. There is an article on Wine Folly comparing five different glasses. One of the glasses they tested is designed by Jancis Robinson, a world renowned wine writer and wine critic. I haven't tried a universal glass. It sounds like an interesting concept, but after what I have personally experienced with Riedel varietal specific glasses, I have a hard time believing I could throw away all those glasses and replace them with a single glass.
