We all know our white wine glasses from our red, right? Well, no actually, a Riedel glass tasting showed us we had a lot more to learn.
Similar to wine tasting, the emphasis at a glass tasting is obviously the glass wear. But how much difference can the glass really make? Is shit wine just shit wine?
We were pretty sceptical prior to the tasting but we have to admit, we were AMAZED to see what a difference the right glass made. The new Veritas range was light as air, with an elegantly thin stem that we were terrified of breaking. However, I can confirm these bad boys go in the dishwasher like a dream, so are way more durable then they appear. So far, so good.
The series includes glasses for Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Viogner. For the first time in a Riedel collection there are two glasses for Syrah and for Pinot Noir – in each case for Old World and New World styles. There’s also a Champagne wine glass, a noticeable move away from the classic flute we’ve become accustomed too.
The biggest difference for us was with a glass of Astrolabe Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc (£19.99 Waitrose). In the correct glass you could smell it in all its vibrant glory, however switch to the wider Chardonnay glass and you completely lost the nose. Similarly the taste dropped off and gave way to generic alcohol. Unless I saw it being poured from the same bottle I would have sworn they were completely different wines.
Now obviously we’re not suggesting you invest in a different set of glasses for your Mineral-y Whites, your Oaky Chardonnay’s, your New World Red’s and your Rose Champagne. Ain’t nobody got the money or space for THAT. BUT we were completely won over by the range so we will be investing in glasses for our absolute favourite tipples.
And if you’re feeling really flush they do the most insane decanters that absolutely will NOT fit in your dishwasher but are a work of art if you can see past that.
The range will be sold via www.riedel.co.uk and through Riedel’s extensive retail network in boxes of 2 glasses. If you want to try before you buy – the gorgeous Sager + Wilde only serve their wine in Riedel so that would be a pretty good place to start.
