It is not every day that one drinks a Grand Cru Classé. It would therefore be a good idea to choose an appropriate wine glass to highlight the wine and optimize all the sensory aspects of this special moment.
There are many shapes of wine glasses, adapted to different types of wine, to different vintages. The size, the shape, the thinness of the glass, everything is to be taken into account when choosing a glass.
A wine glass with stem
It is obvious that you should choose a stemmed glass. The objective is to avoid heating the wine with your hand or leaving fingerprints on your glass.
The shape
Today, all forms of glass can be found on the market. Each brand has different qualities, which are justified and proven for the most part by tests made by sommeliers.
In general, we recommend for a Saint-Emilion a wine glass with a rounded shape, in the shape of a tulip. Its capacity must be between 20cl and 30cl. This shape allows a good aeration of the wine. Indeed, when the wine is swirled in the glass, the scent of the wine is released but retained by the narrower rim. Thus, the taster will be able to smell all the aromas that are concentrated in the top of the glass.
Chef & Sommelier’s Open Up ® series allows the wine to swirl. Its special design allows young wines to express all their aromas. Indeed, with a light gesture, holding the glass at its base and giving it a gentle circular movement, the wine expands its contact with the air, oxygenating itself as it turns and revealing all its aromatic power.
Glass or crystal
Today, the question is less relevant. Indeed, technological developments have made it possible to create materials with the robustness of glass and the transparency and brilliance of crystal at reasonable prices.
Glass lines inspired by the pieces blown to the ribs in France in the eighteenth century
These glasses are quite technical because on the one hand they allow oxygenation of the wine but also they sculpt the reflections of its dress. The Riedel® high performance cabernet black wine glass with its fine lines integrated into the chalice creates a beautiful optical effect and its graceful shape allows for optimal tasting.
The finesse
Personally, the fineness of the wine glass is what I consider most important. Indeed, the thinner the rim of the glass, the more it knows how to make itself forgotten to leave only the pleasure of the sensual contact with the wine. The nose and the mouth are thus concentrated on the wine and nothing can disturb this moment. The Riedel® sommeliers Bordeaux Grand Cru glass allows, thanks to its shape and its finesse, a privileged tasting.
In conclusion
The shape of the wine glass should be coordinated with the character of the wine. Thus, if the wine must charm our nose and mouth, the glass must emphasize the dress of the wine. It must sublimate the wine to better appreciate the tasting. The younger the wine, the more the glass must allow for aeration with a wide chalice base.
The older the wine, the less it needs to be in contact with the air, so a tulip-shaped glass with a tight base, a fairly open chalice and then closed at the top, is preferable.
Find all our exceptional wines on our online store. You will find in particular our 2 grands crus classés:
- Château Balestard la Tonnelle
- Château Cap de Mourlin
Find also our tasting comments and those of Vert de Vin of our Primeurs 2020.
