The Shape of the Glass
Courtesy of
30 Second Wine Advisor
By Robin Garr
I don't usually worry too much about what shape my
wine glass is in, as long as it is clean.
I'm talking about its physical shape, of course: For all
practical purposes, one standard wine glass - often called a "tulip"
because it mimics the form of the spring flower with its large round
bowl on a thin stem - works well for all wines. Large enough to
allow swirling the wine to enhance its aroma, its inward curving
form creates a protected space above the wine to retain the delicate
aromas for your sniffer, and the stem offers a way to hold the glass
without warming the wine or getting greasy fingerprints on the bowl.
On the other hand, many theorists believe that a wide variety of
glass shapes allows the wine lover to select just the right shape to
fit the flavor profile of specific wines. Best-known for this
approach is the Riedel firm, based in Austria, which offers
literally dozens of pricey glasses for every wine from Chianti to
older Bordeaux.
A research report this week from the University of Tennessee at
Knoxville, reported in "New
Scientist" magazine, may shed new light on the Riedel theory.
Russell, with the university's Food Science and Technology
department, poured a Merlot into three different glasses: A tall,
thin Champagne "flute," a wide, shallow Martini glass, and a
"Bordeaux" glass, presumably a standard tulip.
She used laboratory equipment to measure the concentration of
gallic acid, a phenolic compound, in each glass shortly after
pouring. Then she repeated the test 10 to 20 minutes later and found
that the concentration of gallic acid had decreased in the Bordeaux
glass but not in the other two.
Finally, the professor allowed her students a taste of the wines
(using a non-traditional vessel, a laboratory beaker). Only one of
them, an older professor, could detect any difference!
"I think with training the glass might make a difference,"
Russell concluded.
For the full story, visit New Scientist's online edition,
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992733
Riedel Crystal's home page is at
http://www.riedelcrystal.com
and our friends at Brentwood Wine Co. offer them for sale at
http://www.brentwoodwine.com/shop/riedel/riedel.html |
