Wine glassware has come a long way since the French firm of Baccarat introduced the first lead crystal straight-sided tulip in the 1950s. Before that time wine was largely drunk from water glasses of assorted shapes. Typical Italian meals were accompanied by a carafe of red wine, often chilled, to be poured into small glass tumblers. No pretense at all.
The original 8-ounce Baccarat model, called “Perfection,” became the model for most wine glassware for the remainder of the century.
The last decades of the 20th century saw a plethora of larger and fancier wine glasses. All the great crystal houses offered various wine glasses based largely on design factors and fancy cuttings. And then one Austrian company tried to revolutionize wine glass design.
Wine Glass Design Perfected
The history of Riedel Glaz Austria goes back to the 17th century, but the concept of differently shaped glasses for different kinds of wine is clearly a recent phenomenon now embraced by most major glassware producers. There’s no question that differently shaped glasses enhance the experience offered by different wines, but the Riedel company carries the notion to an extreme. They offer specially shaped and sized glasses for nearly 300 different wines. The glasses are expensive and made from lead crystal. Most are machine made. Their “Sommelier” series is hand-blown. Slight design changes are offered to better reflect the specific characteristics of each variety. A Chianti glass won’t do for Zinfandel, nor a Chardonnay glass for Chenin Blanc. To each (variety)...his own.
Wine Glass Construction Perfected?
Huge changes are afoot. The first ripple occurred when the 16th century Bavarian glass house of Eisch approached the Riedel company with the concept of a high-tech “breatheable” glass that would micro-oxygenate wine in the glass quicker than traditional lead crystal. Riedel stood firm with its products, forcing Eisch to market its revolutionary glassware under its own label. Whether these products actually work is beyond the scope of this article, but the promoters and distractors are fairly evenly divided at this time with some well-credentialed sommeliers advocating the Eisch glassware, particularly for older wines and sparkling wines. The glasses are properly shaped and sized, crystal clear, and widely offered at a fraction of the price of comparable traditional crystal stemware.
The firm of Luigi Bormioli is a relative newcomer to the scene, founded in 1946 in Parma, Italy. They also offer a wide range of glassware to accommodate every kind of wine. The glassware of Bormioli is not lead crystal, which many view as a distinct advantage providing that clarity is not compromised. It’s a proprietary type of glass that resists chipping and breaking. The glasses will break, but not quite as easily as typical thin lead crystal. They come with a 25-year guarantee against chipping on rim or foot. And they have a distinct feel in the hand. High-proportion lead crystal, such as Stuart, displays a softness that can be felt in the hand and on the lips. Such glasses also scratch more easily and cannot be washed in a dishwasher without deleterious effect over time. The new Bormioli glasses, on the other hand, are guaranteed against dishwasher etching, are crystal clear, and cannot be visually distinguished from lead crystal. They are offered in the most modern, enlightened shapes and sizes and are also inexpensive. Major retailers offer sets of four wineglasses for less than $25—about the price of a single lead crystal glass of comparable shape and size from a prestigious house.
The Future of Wine Glasses
So where are we headed? It appears that excellent new wine glass offerings may upset the momentum enjoyed by the traditional lead crystal houses and allow us to enjoy a spectrum of shapes and sizes without having to take out a second mortgage on the house.
