Different Glasses

I have never done a formal taste test with Riedel. However I have 5 different Riedel glasses that I wanted to share my notes on a personal taste test.

The glasses I used were all Riedel, although I have others glasses I could have tried with too.

Glass #1 Small tasting glass that I don't really know the series of
Glass #2 "O" series Bordeaux
Glass #3 Nebiolo/Pinot Noir (similar to the Oregon PN w/o the lip)
Glass #4 Oregon Pinot Noir
Glass #5 Vinum Extreme Pinot Noir

The wine - Archery Summit 2006 Premier Cuvee

I found that at no time did the wine taste like a completely different wine. However, I did prefer the aromatic expression some of the glasses allowed. I think the crystal of the Vinum Extreme enhanced the wine well and allowed for the greatest amount of aroma, making some of the more delicate characteristics stronger and more available for the nose. The Oregon Pinot glass did similar in the way that it didn't allow the aromas to fly out of the glass when swirling. I chose to do this with a wine I already love and has interesting qualities and is very complex, to really test a glass's ability to open up these complex characteristics.

Glass 1 gave this wine an iodized aroma, masked all but a faint cherry fruit quality, and lacked any smoke or spice you commonly see in this Cuvee. Glass 2 was a bit better in that it did allow a brighter fruit quality to show through. I also hinted at a bit of rose tea on the latter half of my sniff. There was also no sharp heat that I felt when using #1. Glass 3 turned out to be the best glass for me. You could really pick up on the acidity and the fruits I distinctly smelt included bing cherry, blackberry, huckleberry, and fresh juicy raspberries. I definitely got more floral notes with this glass too. Stronger anyway. I didn't get any smoke, since I don't care for this aroma much I was very pleased. Glass 4 relaxed some of the fruit notes but brought on a bit of smoke. There was a bit more heat from this glass too. Glass 5 is my second choice as I got similar results as the Oregon Pinot Glass without the smoke, not as much fruit on the nose as my 1st choice.

Each taste of this wine had the same notes, in that the glass was not really as important to the mouthfeel or the finish. Only the first part of the taste is influenced by the glass.

Next time I open an '06 Pinot I'm going to see if this glass is better than the Oregon Pinot for me, it probably won't be true as there are other characteristics expressed and I may like or not like them. All the more important to try a wine in several every time (okay, not every time, but every once and a while to test your pallet and be sure you're getting the fullest satisfaction from that bottle of wine. Archery Summit Premier Cuvee is $48, lets just say I'll take the extra 5 minutes before sitting down to dinner to consider my glassware options and get the most bang for my $48 bucks.

I suggest everyone do something like this from time to time. Line up your glasses and find which one will help you enjoy your wine more. There was more dramatic of a difference than I expected. Trust me, until now I was still skeptical too.