Bordeaux Wine Glasses

[sammy]

I'm contemplating buying wine glasses for a friend who is starting to become interested in wine. I came across a wine glass on the internet that makes the following claim:

"This glass smoothes out the rough edges, emphasizing the fruit, allowing wines to achieve a balance that would normally take years of ageing to acquire."

What do you think? Is it possible that this glass does what the manufacturer claims?

[Mark Sommelier]

I'm contemplating buying wine glasses for a friend who is starting to become interested in wine. I came across a wine glass on the internet that makes the following claim:

"This glass smoothes out the rough edges, emphasizing the fruit, allowing wines to achieve a balance that would normally take years of ageing to acquire."

What do you think? Is it possible that this glass does what the manufacturer claims?

No. Glasses can emphasize the fruit and focus it at a point in the glass to highlight it. Glasses can also emphasize flaws in wine. The balance and aging claim is hokum.

Edited October 14, 2003 by Mark Sommelier (log)

[slkinsey]

I'm contemplating buying wine glasses for a friend who is starting to become interested in wine. I came across a wine glass on the internet that makes the following claim:

"This glass smoothes out the rough edges, emphasizing the fruit, allowing wines to achieve a balance that would normally take years of ageing to acquire."

What do you think? Is it possible that this glass does what the manufacturer claims?

No.

Agreed.

Now, Riedel makes great glasses, and it is well established that glass configuration , etc. can have a big effect on the perceived qualities of a wine. The question is whether the Riedel glass is one that provides an experience suited to your individual taste. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. But there is no way it "smoothes out the rough edges, emphasizing the fruit, allowing wines to achieve a balance that would normally take years of ageing to acquire."

[Fat Guy]

"This glass (1) smoothes out the rough edges, (2) emphasizing the fruit, (3) allowing wines to achieve a balance that would normally take years of ageing to acquire."

Certainly, 1 & 2 are possible. Wine glass shape has been shown time and again to affect these factors to some degree. No one glass will do this for all wines, but a properly designed glass is one of the standard tools of wine enjoyment. Number 3 is of course not possible. There is no known substitute for "years of ageing." Although from a legalistic standpoint the only claim that has been made is "balance" which is a sufficiently soft claim as to be unverifiable either way.

What kind of glasses are these? I think you'll find that for the money it's hard to beat Spiegelau.

Also, are these the manufacturers' claims or the claims of a reseller?

Of course, Sammy, if you are just using this topic as a surrogate for further discussion of the Wine Clip, I will end it immediately. We already have a topic for that. So please do advise us of your intentions here.

Edited October 14, 2003 by Fat Guy (log)

[sammy]

The glasses I referred to are Riedel Vinum Bordeaux and their claim came right from their website.

As for my intention, it is to illustrate the unfair treatment by many members accusing Mr. Wine Clip of being a "snake-oil" salesman and selling a worthless product while one of the most respected glass manufactuers makes a similar claim and they get a free ride. On Riedel's site, I don't see evidence of any double blind studies or any other evidence that the glass does what it says it does. Why the double standard?

Nice edit by the way!

[Fat Guy]

Sammy, I think you'll find that most eGulleters don't appreciate being manipulated. Next time you have something to say, just come out and say it.