Expensive crystal? Generic wine goblet? How about a jam jar? Do glasses truly influence the way wines smell and taste?
Georg Riedel, an Austrian glassmaker and master salesman, set out in the 1980s to convince wine lovers around the world that each of the key styles and varieties of wine need different glasses, invariably huge. For instance, Riedel Performance Pinot Noir glasses ($112.49 for a twin pack, plus delivery), have “a signature, wide bowl design … this increased aeration the glass offers balances high acidity with the soft tannins and fruit-forward flavours typical of thin-skinned red wine grapes”.
Spiegelau, founded in the 16th century and now owned by Riedel, offers a Vino Grande series of glasses that “meets the highest standards for all connoisseurs”. Spiegelau Vino Grande Burgundy glass ($196.80 for a set of 4) is “perfect for light-bodied red wines with high acidity and moderate tannin … the tulip-shaped bowl captures all the nuances of the wine’s aromas”.
However, more than 20 studies have been published internationally by psychology experts, evaluating the impact of the size and shape of glasses on how consumers and wine professionals rate the aromas and flavours of wine. The glassware makes little difference to our tasting experience if we have been blindfolded. But if we can see the glass from which we are tasting, we attribute big differences to our tasting experience.
“The influence of the wine glass is more psychological than physico-chemical,” says Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford. “The available research argues against the suggestion that the specific shape of the glass changes the flow properties of the liquid across the tongue (or rather, if it does, it argues against this making a noticeable difference to the tasting experience), or that the shape of the headspace above the wine in the glass helps to concentrate specific wine volatiles.”
This is not to say that we don’t enjoy tasting and drinking wine from beautiful crystal glasses. But there is no scientific evidence that a $100 wine glass will make your wine smell or taste better than everyday wine glasses sold by Kmart ($7.50 for a set of six).
Wine of the Week
Seifried Nelson Gewürztraminer 2024
★★★★½
Ready for a taste of this year’s wine? Picked in March, bottled in May and already on sale, this highly aromatic, medium to full-bodied wine has excellent intensity of vibrant pear, lychee and apricot flavours, with a slightly sweet, distinctly spicy finish. Best drinking 2026+. (12.5% alc/vol) $20
