Does one really need a $110 glass to enjoy wine?

[JohnS]

As the topic title states, does one really need a $110 glass to enjoy wine? If you know your wine and spirit glasses, perhaps the brand name 'Riedel' springs to mind when it comes to specialist glassware. Perhaps not a Gabriel-Glas number made with lead-free crystal...

The $110 wine glass you need at home, according to a top Australian sommelier

Story by Matt Shea

Ian Trinkle says people tend to overcomplicate wine glasses.

“I think there’s a tendency to say, ‘You need to have this with that’. Like, champagne flutes are a bit passe at the moment, and people are finally learning you don’t really need them hanging around the home. But there has been that temptation in the past to overcomplicate it.”

Trinkle sells wine glasses at his slick wine store and bar Wineism, in Albion, in Brisbane’s north, but has an extensive background as a sommelier, first in the US, and then Australia where he oversaw the wine lists at restaurants such as Aria Brisbane and Arc Dining (Aria took out the coveted Wine List of the Year award in 2018 under Trinkle’s stewardship). He says his choice of wine glass has evolved over the years.

“When I was working in restaurants, Riedel was king of wine glasses,” Trinkle says. “I really liked, and still do, Zalto. But while they’re beautiful and delicate, they do tend to break quite easily.”

His go-to these days is a hand-blown Gabriel-Glas number made with lead-free crystal. It’s an appropriate pick, because Gabriel-Glas more or less makes just one type of glass, but with a machine-blown variant available if you want to save a bunch of dollars (there’s also a stemless glass angled more towards beer). The hand-blown version typically retails for about $110 a unit in Australia, but you can get a twin pack for $100 if you cast around.

The glass itself combines what you might think as typical characteristics of a red and white glass, with a broad bowl – “the d--- measuring swirl kings? You can still do that,” Trinkle says – matched to a gently conical shape. The glass has a 500-millilitre capacity but doesn’t feel that large, perhaps due to its hand-blown nature, which gives it an elegant, seamless construction (but also a relatively high degree of strength).

“It’s still delicate but a little more sturdy than the Zaltos,” Trinkle says. “I love them. I was at Embla [in Melbourne] and they were using them by the glass. And we got them for Arc when I was there. There’s a simplicity to them. I don’t really like big garish wine glasses.

“It’s sleek, it’s understated. It’s [designed] by a wine critic, Rene Gabriel, and they’re made in Austria. These are hand-blown. We have the manufactured ones that we use day-to-day [at Wineism]. But if you’re getting six or something like that, it’s a great showpiece. If you’re drinking riesling, awesome; pinot, great; and you can use them for shiraz and champagne.”

And if you really need something else in the wine cabinet? Trinkle recommends grabbing a couple of bigger burgundy glasses for a barolo or other cellared reds.

“And then I have my plastic Plumms for pool-time enjoyment,” he says. “They’re mostly filled with spritzers and daiquiris, that sort of thing. And that’s pretty much it.”

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/shopping/the-110-wine-glass-you-need-at-home-according-to-top-aust-sommelier/ar-BB1h9q9O

[dobbs]

Well, I can't speak to those, but what I can say is that I have Zalto universal glasses, and they're awesome. I bought two and did taste tests between them and much more reasonably priced glasses, and the Zaltos killed with most types of wine, particularly champagne. I haven't bothered to try between other high-end glassware or the other shapes that Zalto puts out, but have been very happy with the purchase.

The article mentions that the Zalto are delicate, and I have broken one, but they're not what I would call fragile.

Folks on this forum seem to know and enjoy wine, so I'm interested to see other's opinions.

-dobbs

[El Presidente]

As a Brisbane lad, Go FY "self"

Now I may come across Ian in my general course of life, and we will no doubt agree to disagree. Still my comment stands. 

I appreciate workmanship. However, go and produce a superb $20 glass for the masses and I will be really impressed. I can also produce a $ 200 cutter and a $300 ashtray (soon!)...but I am looking for no kudos. That is low hanging fruit. Easy. 

[Marco_011t556]

Hahaha, it makes it think of Baccarat. My girlfriend keeps buying Baccarat, turns out...puts them in the cabinet only.

[Çnote]

I used the basic Riedel stemless for years, great price, noticeable difference from Libby etc, but crazy wine does benefit from crazy glasses.

Zalto Universals are amazing, but not cheap. If you're drinking pretty serious wine regularly tho, they're worth it.

$110 is pretty steep, but the machine made at $35ish looks like a good compromise. Glasses break no matter how careful you are.

[99call]

Hi-end gourmand passions are always going to be festooned with 'idiot tax' trinkets, for those with more money than sense.   

That said, if you have some products where there are significant man hours, and skills that are only honed after a lifetime of dedication...then well, that price tag it completely justified. When you look as something like Cumbria Crystal you can see where your money is going. People who want cheap price tags on beautiful things drive me f**ing bonkers. We are happy to pay a solicitor £2000 to write a two line letter, but people want to haggle a craftsmen when they put a £200 price tag on something that's taken them a whole day to create.

 

[PartagasIV]

I see Rob's point on $$ cutters/ashtray, but try the same wine in a Zalto burg & cheapie stem blindfolded and you'd be surprised how much more you get from your sniffer/enjoyment of it. The machine-made Gabriel Glas referenced above is <$40 and very decent.  I have tried a lot of the Riedel line and not convinced it's all just a Gilette-style biz model to sell their 127 different varietal models.

[MagicalBikeRide]

To enjoy wine? Not for me. But in a cigar context, I use my nails to open the cap and a bic or €5 torch to light up - so I’m unlikely the target audience.

Then again - you can’t pour Guinness into a Heineken glass. People have got the death penalty for less. So maybe there is merit? 

[Fugu]

Yeah, that’s THE glass indeed. We’ve got Spiegelau glass (since when they were still independent, now part of Riedel) in two sizes as hand blowns, for regular wine (bar specials). Reasonably priced / good value. And we got the Gabriel glass in the machine-made version (EUR 12 in a 6er about six, seven years ago, now around 18, and 50 for the hand-blown. So AUD 100 for a twin-pack in Oz is a steal). That glass is truly all you want and need. Flawless quality, thin-walled, no-seam bowl, stem and foot. You have to look hard to see it’s a MM, and even harder to find a better glass. The shape is indeed perfect, my go-to everyday glass.

So, no. It doesn’t need a $110-glass, and not just for the price-conscious.

Edited January 29 by Fugu
pic added

[vinnyvega]

About 5 years back I had the opportunity to buy a bunch of different Zalto glasses at the distributors cost as a thank you for helping them out. I grabbed a dozen assorted stems (Bordeaux, Burg, and the Universal) for roughly $25 a pop. Absolutely stunning. Here's a little secret, the universal stem from Spiegelau Defintion series is a damn good fill in if you don't want to drop the coin on a Zalto.  Like a 1/3 of the cost. Not a big fan of the other Spiegelau Defintions but the universal is a home run.

[jazzboypro]

Umm...do we need a $150 lighter and a $150 cutter to enjoy our cigars ? I think not. Pretty much the same thing for the $150 wine glass.

[Perla]

Beautiful things can be expensive. If they are handmade, the price is justified.

Things that I use often have to be practical and suitable for off-road use. My wine glasses are by Schott from the factory outlet. I throw glasses around a lot, wash them in the dishwasher and replace them when they are no longer nice. I don't have space for a display cabinet where glasses gather dust. I need that space for my humidor. And I take no prisoners there.
So, a clear no from my side for a 110$ Glass. Rather buy a few bottles instead. 

[BrightonCorgi]

Too many wine glasses are broken over the year for me to warrant that expensive a glass. I do maintain dedicated wine glasses for red wine, pinot specific, white wine, champagne, and port. 

The wine should cost more than the glass like art should cost more than the frame.

[Çnote]

1 hour ago, BrightonCorgi said:

The wine should cost more than the glass like art should cost more than the frame.

Beautiful 

[Ken Gargett]

16 hours ago, El Presidente said:

As a Brisbane lad, Go FY "self"

Now I may come across Ian in my general course of life, and we will no doubt agree to disagree. Still my comment stands. 

I appreciate workmanship. However, go and produce a superb $20 glass for the masses and I will be really impressed. I can also produce a $ 200 cutter and a $300 ashtray (soon!)...but I am looking for no kudos. That is low hanging fruit. Easy. 

disagree on this one. most definitely not easy. plenty of very expensive special glasses out there that are bog average. getting good ones is much more difficult than you think.

Reidel, s'glau (mentioned as well), some Plumms and certainly Zalto are usually very good. conterno if you can find them but they vary and are very expensive. i just grabbed some syndonios which are definitely not cheap but highly regarded and the importer was offloading them a fraction of the cost as they are not coming here any more. 

having seen rob use his thumbnail as a cutter for about three decades, i don't think comparing glasses and cutters is a valid comparison. 

the point is, for me, if you are just using them for quaffing a wine at night, the cheapies are fine. if you have decent wine and want to enjoy it to the full extent possible, a good glass makes a difference. i have done a heap of tastings over the years comparing glasses and there is simply no doubt in my mind that they do make a significant difference (mind you, caring for the glasses and proper cleaning equally important). i have even done a water tasting with max riedel and, don't ask me how, his water glass made a big difference. 

i do have a couple of riedel grand cru sommeliers burgundy glasses, but have never used them. they take well over a litre each - as len evans used to say, the perfect glass when your doctor limits you to one glass a day. 

my all time fave glass was the riedel central otago pinot noir glass. a great allrounder. sadly, it was a very limited production run and i managed to smash mine into a squillion pieces not happy, jan. 

[Chas.Alpha]

Why spend $110 on a wine glass when it’s easier just to drink it out of the bottle?

[El Presidente]

5 minutes ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Why spend $110 on a wine glass when it’s easier just to drink it out of the bottle?

or

 

 

[Ken Gargett]

21 hours ago, El Presidente said:

i have a photo from a really serious wine lunch (well, serious wines, if not attendees) with a former wallaby guzzling great champagne out of his rm Williams boot. i will not be posting it as he is a prop and could therefore twist me like a pretzel. and he is a good bloke. 

i am yet to be convinced it tasted as good as from a quality glass. 

[Greenhorn2]

7 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Why spend $110 on a wine glass when it’s easier just to drink it out of the bottle?

Exactly. Boones Farm and Mad Dog 20/20 probably wouldn't taste right out of a glass. 

[BrightonCorgi]

8 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

i do have a couple of riedel grand cru sommeliers burgundy glasses, but have never used them.

I won't bring a Burgundy to someone's house if they do not have Burgundy glasses. The difference that shape makes for Pinot is most dramatic out of wine glasses. 

For port, I have about 100 IDVP glasses.

[PartagasIV]

Slightly more hygienic than a shoey:

Chugmate

[Chibearsv]

Should my grandmother have rinsed the jelly out of the jar before using it as a wine glass or should she have left that extra grape flavor in there? 😁

[RDB]

If you really care about the taste of your wine, and focus on it like you do on the flavour of a good cigar… then good glasses are important. Very important.

In fact, if you are drinking great wine out of poor glasses then go check your head. That stuff is expensive! Far more expensive than a few good glasses. 

If you need to be convinced, then try the same (good) wine out of a couple of different glasses. Different shapes and styles can make a huge difference. 

Generally there is a cheaper option than fully handmade. I love Zaltos and Riedel, and recently got a bunch of seconds of the lovely Jancis Robinson glass.

 

[El Presidente]

7 hours ago, RDB said:

If you really care about the taste of your wine, and focus on it like you do on the flavour of a good cigar… then good glasses are important.

Would it be fair to say that a "good glass" can deliver 80% of what a "great glass" delivers......at 50% of the price? 

That 80/50 rule is generally considered  the magic sweet spot of product retail. 

 

 

[99call]

7 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Would it be fair to say that a "good glass" can deliver 80% of what a "great glass" delivers......at 50% of the price? 

That 80/50 rule is generally considered  the magic sweet spot of product retail. 

I'm gonna wait for Fuzz to audit your numbers.