I hate to write about a company but I can’t escape it here. I went to an event organised by Riedel, the glassware maker, in Sofia’s Grand Hotel on this pleasant October Wednesday. What captured my attention in the promotion email was that by signing in for the tasting at the price of 15 levs (€7.50) I’d get attractive discounts for buying three of my favourite wines from a favourite wine retailer. It’s Burgundy, Washington State and Australia, geographically. The wines which Riedel chose were: Joseph Drouhin Santenay 2009; Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2009; Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz 2010.
But this thing grew to something bigger than the wine. I admit I never expected the shape of the glass can have such a profound effect on the sensual perception of the drinker. Maybe there is also the marketing and the psychological tricks, but I definitely believe Riedel has a point. No wonder their glasses cost a fortune (€85 for the set of three used in this tasting, regular price; sold at discount at the event for €30). These people made their glasses as the wine itself would want them to be made, as they like to boast. Mr Riedel had that idea back in 1973 and tested it among the most renowned wine producers in Italy. It was them who chose the form of glassware for their own wine. And it’s not only wine. Riedel has glassware adjusted to enhance any imaginable drink, even Bulgarian rakia. But enough about the company, let’s shift to the event.
Glass 1 - Pinot Noir; 2 - Syrah; 3 - Cabernet Sauvignon
We were offered three classic Riedel tasting glasses – for Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines I mentioned above were poured in plastic in front of every glass. We also had three bars of Lindt chocolate for the tasting – this was meant to show us how the different glasses have their effect on food pairing. The presenter – an Italian sommelier from Chianti – asked us to pour each wine from the plastic into every Riedel glass in a carefully planned sequence, the latter repeated with the chocolate pairing.
It really made a difference. The Burgundy expressed all its elegance and balance in the Pinot Noir glass, too much alcohol in the Syrah glass and lack of character in the Cab glass. The Shiraz made me frown with alcohol and spice in the Pinot glass, was too volatile and lacking character in the Cab glass, and perfectly expressive with pepper, vanilla and less intrusive alcohol in the Syrah glass. The Cab impressed with classic Columbia valley character and balance – acidity and oaked caramel, licorice maybe? – in the Cab glass but showed some unpleasant alcohol and vanilla extremities in the other two glasses. It is amazing. It has to do, as the Chianti guy explained, with the way the liquid enters your mouth and spreads over the different taste areas of the tongue. But it is clearly the case – the wines tasted differently from the different glasses.
Then comes the chocolate. Not only do those Riedel glasses make your wine taste differently: they also make your wine-and-food pairing a deeper experience. We had a bar of white Lindt, one of a spicy brown Lindt and one of 70% cacao dark choc Lindt. We tried every bar with every wine in every glass. And the combos were really most expressive with the respective recommended wine glasses. I don’t know, I felt I was being fooled or something. The Chianti guy told us Riedel had worked with Lindt for a long time now. Have they concocted some scam so that this specific chocolate tastes good with only this wine drunk from that glass? It must be a grand scam in any case.
I've always known that mechanics has its say in wine tasting, expressed in the shape of glassware. We all know certain red wine glasses, white wine glasses and carbonated wine glasses. But I didn’t expect it made such a great difference. My suspicion, and problem, now is that I may start scrutinising every wine glass I lay my hands on when drinking wine. Not a good prospect. But after all, it’s the juice that matters most, and this universal truth will I hardly abandon.
But this thing grew to something bigger than the wine. I admit I never expected the shape of the glass can have such a profound effect on the sensual perception of the drinker. Maybe there is also the marketing and the psychological tricks, but I definitely believe Riedel has a point. No wonder their glasses cost a fortune (€85 for the set of three used in this tasting, regular price; sold at discount at the event for €30). These people made their glasses as the wine itself would want them to be made, as they like to boast. Mr Riedel had that idea back in 1973 and tested it among the most renowned wine producers in Italy. It was them who chose the form of glassware for their own wine. And it’s not only wine. Riedel has glassware adjusted to enhance any imaginable drink, even Bulgarian rakia. But enough about the company, let’s shift to the event.
We were offered three classic Riedel tasting glasses – for Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines I mentioned above were poured in plastic in front of every glass. We also had three bars of Lindt chocolate for the tasting – this was meant to show us how the different glasses have their effect on food pairing. The presenter – an Italian sommelier from Chianti – asked us to pour each wine from the plastic into every Riedel glass in a carefully planned sequence, the latter repeated with the chocolate pairing.
It really made a difference. The Burgundy expressed all its elegance and balance in the Pinot Noir glass, too much alcohol in the Syrah glass and lack of character in the Cab glass. The Shiraz made me frown with alcohol and spice in the Pinot glass, was too volatile and lacking character in the Cab glass, and perfectly expressive with pepper, vanilla and less intrusive alcohol in the Syrah glass. The Cab impressed with classic Columbia valley character and balance – acidity and oaked caramel, licorice maybe? – in the Cab glass but showed some unpleasant alcohol and vanilla extremities in the other two glasses. It is amazing. It has to do, as the Chianti guy explained, with the way the liquid enters your mouth and spreads over the different taste areas of the tongue. But it is clearly the case – the wines tasted differently from the different glasses.
Then comes the chocolate. Not only do those Riedel glasses make your wine taste differently: they also make your wine-and-food pairing a deeper experience. We had a bar of white Lindt, one of a spicy brown Lindt and one of 70% cacao dark choc Lindt. We tried every bar with every wine in every glass. And the combos were really most expressive with the respective recommended wine glasses. I don’t know, I felt I was being fooled or something. The Chianti guy told us Riedel had worked with Lindt for a long time now. Have they concocted some scam so that this specific chocolate tastes good with only this wine drunk from that glass? It must be a grand scam in any case.
I've always known that mechanics has its say in wine tasting, expressed in the shape of glassware. We all know certain red wine glasses, white wine glasses and carbonated wine glasses. But I didn’t expect it made such a great difference. My suspicion, and problem, now is that I may start scrutinising every wine glass I lay my hands on when drinking wine. Not a good prospect. But after all, it’s the juice that matters most, and this universal truth will I hardly abandon.
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