Pleasure by the glass

Most of wine lovers agree that good wine is best enjoyed in a good glass. If you’re looking a decent crystal glass that captures both the grape varietal’s unique characteristics as well as the aesthetic of glassmaking, Lucaris has just the collection for you. 

The “Desire” collection is the product of collaboration between the Ocean Glass subsidiary and the Hong Kong Sommelier Association, Greater China (HKSA). A recognised centre for leading wine specialists, HKSA’s mission was to design a stem glass that arouses the wine’s body and accentuates its properties so that a new level of fullness is accomplished. The result was the Aerlumer design and it is this that Lucaris embodies in its latest collection. 

Aerlumer is a curl line beautifully carved at the bottom of the wine glass. The curling patterns of the lines under the bowl support micro-oxidation, a process that conducts the wine molecules to expose themselves to a greater level of oxygen. 

Micro-oxidation helps to accentuate the flavour and the body of a wine, as well as the aroma or bouquet. The purpose of such accentuation is to effectively spread the wine’s properties to the senses.

Earlier last month, HKSA chairman Nelson Chow joined Kirati Assakul, managing director of Ocean Glass, at a blind tasting session and introduced the innovative features of the Desire collection. 

“Before describing the Aerlumer as an innovative design, we have to go back to our intention to create an improved wine drinking experience – an experience that could not have been provided by the glass designs in our past accomplishments,” Kirati told XP.. 

“And so, we set out to seek “wine philosophers” – world-class specialists who view wine-drinking as an artistic cultivation. We collaborated with the Hong Kong Sommelier Association, as they have the resources and the professionals who are highly regarded in the wine community. The Hong Kong Sommelier Association is committed as ever to excellence, inspiring them to transform Aerlumer into a receptacle that raises the wine-drinking experience to a whole new level, in turn giving the wine a new dimension to its character.”

The collection comprises six wine glasses for red, white and bubbly. Desire Robust Red is suitable for younger red wines as the Aerlumer signature design helps to conduct their aroma and sensuality. 

Desire Elegant Red is designed to nurture the aroma or bouquet of aged red wines. By slowly turning the glass in a circular motion before sipping, the fragrances expand and magnify to be breathed in and consumed by the senses.

If your bottle is wood-reserved white wine, opt for Desire Rich White, where the Aerlumer design enhances the wine’s most distinctive qualities including the nose and complex flavours. There is also a Desire Crisp White for crisp white wine and here the subtleties are extended, correspondingly elevating the aesthetic nature of the wine-drinking experience. 

The tall and narrow Desire Sparkling is designed to store the wine’s freshness for significant lengths of time, hence capturing the taste, the aroma and the bubbles longer. 

The collection also includes Desire Universal that is made for “sipping” allowing you to taste only a small amount of wine at a time and thus fully appreciate its elegance.