Bouquet and balance

If that pricey bottle of Bordeaux doesn’t taste as god as might be expected and there’s no reason to suspect that it’s corked, chances are the problem is that you’re not drinking it from the right glass. 

You might be one of the many non-believers who have only one or perhaps two types of wine glass at home. But believe it or not, a different glass makes a huge difference when paired correctly with a wine. That’s what the Riedel family believes and they’ve been busy convincing wine lovers all over the world for the past 250 years.

George J Riedel, who represents the eleventh generation of the Riedel Glass family, was in town earlier this month to educate wine drinkers on how to maximise their wine drinking experiences by amplifying the aromas and tastes of each grape varietal. 

“Drinking wine is a celebration. The preference of the wine depends on the glass you choose. The right combination of wine and glass gives the ultimate expression and understanding to your enthusiasm for wine.” Riedel told us in an interview before the tasting session at the St Regis Bangkok. While the glass factory was founded by Johann Christoph Riedel in the eighteenth century, the credit for discovering that each wine is best enjoyed from specific type of glass goes to ninth generation family member Claus J Riedel. Wine glasses that are grape varietal-specific have been designed and produced since the late 1950s and our enjoyment of has not been the same since.

At the tasting, Riedel showed us how one wine tasted like heaven in one type of glass and purgatory in another with the Vitis series – the brand’s fashionable, moderately price, stemware line. The grape varietal is the key factor in determining the relationship between fruit, acidity, tannin and alcohol. The shape of the glass is responsible for the quality and intensity of the bouquet and the flow of the wine, so the initial contact point depends on the shape and volume of the glass, the diameter of the rim, and its finish (whether it is a cut and polished or rolled edge) as well as the thickness of the crystal. In most cases, thinner is better.

As you put your wine glass to your lips, your taste buds are on the alert. The wine flow is directed onto the appropriate taste zones of your palate and consequently leads to different taste pictures. Once your tongue is in contact with the wine, three messages are transmitted simultaneously: temperature, texture and taste. In a sense, if you like the smell when you nose it, you are likely to like the taste of the wine in that glass. In this case, what you smell is mostly what you taste.

If there are certain grapes that you don’t particularly like, try them with the “correct” glasses. You might discover your new favourites. You might also find a new way to enjoy your favourites more with a proper glass that enhances their unique characters.

These delicate glasses are pricey, but they are fairly easy to maintain. They are all dishwasher safe, and if you hand-wash them, make sure to use warm water and detergent. If there’s a stain, use white vinegar to get rid of it. And if possible, avoid storing the glasses in a kitchen cabinet that is often exposed to strong cooking smells. These smells, says Riedel, will translate into the glass. This applies to cocktail glasses, too.

Invest in one glass as much as you spend on average for a bottle of wine. Don’t go overboard with your budget, because at the end of the day, wine is best enjoyed on happy occasions with the people whose companionship you cherish.

 

 

>> For more wine glass savvy, check out www.Riedel.com and www.WineGlassGuide.com.