The Ranch Club

Know Your Vino - The glass does matter

By KATE MURPHY of the Missoulian

Do specialty wine glasses, such as Riedel, make a difference?

The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

I recently attended a wine tasting and seminar hosted by Maximilian Riedel (rhymes with “needle”) and Georges Distributing. It was held out at the new Ranch Club Event Barn at The Ranch Club Golf Course. The breathtaking location is certainly something to see for yourself if you have the opportunity, and the restaurant provides a lovely dining experience.

There were more than a hundred other people at the event, and Maximilian’s goal was to show us how the shape of a glass can influence and enhance the bouquet and taste of a wine. He succeeded and indeed confirmed, just as all wines are not created equal, all wine glasses are not created equal, either.

I had done this test once before, last fall. I have to admit, I was initially a skeptic. But as I tasted the same wine in different glasses, I learned very quickly how the glass affects the bouquet and the taste of the wine. Even within Riedel’s own line, the wine changed drastically from one glass to another. Tannins, acidity, fruit and earthy characteristics could all be accentuated by the shape of the glass, both in aromatics and in flavor. For example, on the palate, a tulip-shaped glass with a narrower bowl helps to place the wine more to the front of the palate, enhancing the sweet fruit of a white wine. A rounder and wider glass will flow the wine to the center of the tongue, balancing the fruit and acidity of a red wine.

We tried four wines over the course of two hours with Maximilian. We experimented with Pepperbridge Cabernet Sauvignon from Walla Walla, Wash., and three wines from Napa, Calif.: the Honig Sauvignon Blanc, Hill Family Chardonnay, and Truchard Pinot Noir. Each wine had its own designated glass from the Vitis line, plus there was a “joker” glass - those miserly little wine glasses that you often get at restaurants and can barely fit your nose into. And we rounded things out with a pathetic little plastic cup.

We tried the Chardonnay first in the Riedel Chardonnay glass, then in the Riedel Sauvignon Blanc glass. I fully understand your skepticism, but let me tell you - the wine did smell and taste different in each of these glasses. The Chardonnay smelled and tasted far better in the Riedel Chardonnay glass - as did the Sauvignon Blanc, the Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Sauvignon in their respective glasses. The “joker” glass didn’t rate at all, often making the wine dull or flat. The plastic cup isn’t even worth mentioning.

I was sitting next to some friends and fellow oenophiles and they often turned to one another in astonishment, as it was almost impossible to believe how much the taste and bouquet of the wines changed from glass to glass. The surprised murmur that echoed throughout this room as each wine was sampled was testimony that Maximilian had just converted 90 new believers to his family’s long history of glassmaking. He had demonstrated without a shadow of a doubt the theory that glass, specifically formulated into particular shapes and sizes, can enhance each specific wine varietal.

The Riedel family has been in the glass business for 300 years, with 11 generations keeping the family business alive, with ties that crossed through Russia after the World War II. Eighth-generation Walter Riedel was taken prisoner in Czechoslovakia, and the Riedel Co. and properties were confiscated and nationalized by the Czechs. The Riedels lost their home.

Walter spent 10 years in a Siberian camp and then was finally released to Austria in 1955. Walter and his son, Claus, ended up in a village near Swarovski glass works, where they were taken in and sheltered by that family. The Swarovskis had learned the business from earlier generations of Riedels and the two families had always been friendly. Swarovski eventually bankrolled Claus to reopen a glass factory, specializing in mouth-blown items, which is known today’s as the Riedel factory.

By 1961, Riedel fine wine glasses were introduced and by 1973, they were researching the relationship between the shape of a glass and the wine it contains. Claus gained much recognition for these designs that influenced the appearance of stemware, as well as the character of wine. Today the Museum of Modern Art in New York carries the Riedel line in its permanent collection.

There’s a simple way for you to test this glass theory yourself. Next time you are at a restaurant, ask for a Riedel wine glass in addition to what they already have on the table. Often the chic restaurants in town carry Riedel stemware and would be happy to provide you with such, so don’t be afraid to ask. Pour a bit of wine into each glass, give it a swirl, smell its bouquet and taste it, noting the aroma and flavor in each glass. I promise, you will discover the nuances of the wine are more enhanced in the Riedel glass.

However, there remains the pragmatic concern of just how many wine glasses can one afford, much less find room for. My suggestion is to consider the non-lead crystal glassware by Riedel to start. It is much more affordable, and you can buy just two at a time to ensure you like them. I love glassware and confess my obsession for it, but most people can drink comfortably with just three sets: a big-bowled basic glass for reds, a smaller-bowled, tulip shape for whites, and a Champagne flute, as it preserves bubbles the best. I highly recommend the “O” Series for its simplicity and practicality. These stemless glass tumblers are dishwasher safe, easy to pack for traveling or picnics and weeble-wobble when you bump into them. For a more elegant and luxurious experience, I recommend the Vitis line. “Vitis” is Latin for vine and these lead crystal glasses stand tall, with a highly sophisticated, varietal-specific bowl that comes to a point on a graceful, pulled stem. The glasses are pleasing to all the senses and produce that distinctive, joyful “ping” when rapped during a toast.

What it comes down to is how much you want to get out of your wine-drinking experience. I can promise the Riedel glass collections will enhance even mediocre wine. Whichever glass or glasses you select, get the best you can afford. The only good thing about drinking from a plastic cup is that it won’t break if you drop it.

For tips and more discussion points given by Maximilian Riedel at the tasting event visit my blog at www.KnowYourVino.com.

Happy drinking.

Kate Murphy is the wine writer for the Missoulian and Missoula.com magazine. Check out her blog at KnowYourVino.com. She can be reached at (406) 523-0486 or by e-mail at kate.murphy@missoulian.com.

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