What we drink affects us. where we drink it from also has an effect on us as well. A sophisticated wine deserves a glass of the same order. Yet which is the best? what works with our bottles of Merlots and Shirazes.
Eric Asimov asked these questions in his weekly column The Pour in yesterday's New York Times Food section. He has chosen the best of the best, namely lead free ones that cost anywhere from sixty to ninety dollars a glass (you can get much cheaper if you don't care how the glass affects the wine's flavor and notes). They should be esthetically appealing although again it depends on your tastes and if you wish to compliment them to your dishes . According to Mr. Asimov choosing one is like choosing the right car. The better it is , the smoother the ride. Luckily his choices are all dishwasher safe and durable. His one choice is the Zalto Universal designed by Kurt Josef Zalto a decade ago. It's sort of a hybrid between a champagne flute and a wine glass.It doesn't have a curved bell bowl (bottom) but one that is slim tapering upwards. A wines flavors and clarity are best presented, They are a luxury with a set of six costing $408. Mr. Asimov has also tried the Gabriel-Glas and the Janci . the Janci is very similar to the Zalto save for a shorter stem. and a more gently rounded bowl. The Gabriel-Glas was wider at the base of the bowl. He preferred the Janci which is $112 for a set of four.
There is also the Sensory glass designed by Roberto Conturno,proprietor of the Barolo producer Giacomo Conterno.It's perfect for champagne and sparkling wines.It goes against the usual ideology that serving champagne in smaller goblets channel the bubbles and aromas upwards. Instead it was full flavored, forceful and intense,. With wines the flavors had more clarity,intensity and precision. Again it is pricey with two costing $85 .it is different looking and an eye catcher, perfect with fine china like Wedgewood and Scully and Scully.There is also the Josephine which again resembles the Zalto with a major difference. The bowl slightly bulged around the lowest part of its' circumference as if it had a circular love handle before beginning to taper to the rim. This creates a gentle arc instead of Zalto's straight line. The reason for this unusual shape is because when the wine is agitated in the glass the kink breaks the movement and allows the wine to flow back into the belly in a spiral motion.In doing thus it absorbs additional oxygen. This is another Zalro creation costing $68 a glass.
What makes for the best glasses. Namely shape. These five are perfect for savoring the best vintages. They may be pricey bit worth it for tasting a good wine's flavor.
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