Roy Hersh wrote:I'd prefer any of the Port glasses above instead.
Roy - thanks for the advice, I'll have to acquire a couple of each for a side-by-side comparison before I buy a batch. I'd thought they were all a "regulation" size/shape (like Sake tasting glasses), didn't realize there were subtle differences.
there is an international standard tasting glass size
In 2002, prior to the Siza glass release in the USA, I was contacted by the importer to do their promo piece on the glass. They then used that to launch the glass over here in the advertising campaign in magazines and other print versions and on line brochure. Before writing my piece, I did a very thorough organoleptic testing utilizing various Port glasses, including the new IVDP glass. As mentioned, it is a very solid glass with many good features, improved upon when the manufacturing switched from the old French glassmaker to Schott Zweissel. They are fun to drink out of. I still prefer Riedel Vinums but that is a personal preference and your mileage may vary.
(Or rather sizes: I think there are about 4 different versions). ISO Glasses are a bit odd, though. My understanding is that they were designed just so that there would be a standard, with the intention that any tasting organiser which uses them could guarantee that their glassware would affect the wine in a predictable way. They weren't particularly designed to be “perfect glasses† for every-day use and I think there were a number of flaws in the specification (e.g. whilst the shape of the glasses is specified in quite a lot of detail, I believe that the type and thickness of the glass is specified less precisely).
Thanks for the tip re. Vinum/Sommelier glasses, Roy. I’ve been thinking about getting a couple of better quality glasses and was wondering which to go for.
I use the Riedel Vinum Port glass almost exclusively, and like Roy I have found them to be very reasonably durable. I have managed to break one, though - I was drying it by hand and applied too much pressure to the inside of the rim by using two fingers and a dish towel to dry the inside of the glass, and I "popped" it from the inside.
Glenn E. wrote:I use the Riedel Vinum Port glass almost exclusively, and like Roy I have found them to be very reasonably durable. I have managed to break one, though - I was drying it by hand and applied too much pressure to the inside of the rim by using two fingers and a dish towel to dry the inside of the glass, and I "popped" it from the inside.
I'm now much more careful as I dry them.
I’m guilty of doing that to my glasses, too, and, unfortunately, more than once! Thankfully the ones which I use for regular Port drinking are particularly thick to avoid that problem (and I don’t polish them as frequently as I used to).
Roy Hersh wrote:drying racks are easy to find and cheap. they make drying by hand a thing of the past.
No! NO! Drying racks leave water stains. You must, like absolutely by-Royal-Command must, dry with a clean cloth. Though, as Roy rightly says, when sober.
The only Port glass that I've ever washed by hand is my pair of Riedel Sommeliers that get very infrequent use. Otherwise ALL of my wine/Port glasses are in the d/w for sure. My inexpensive rack is the the dishwasher glass rack add on that you can find in most catalogues. Even without it, you can just let them drip dry after being dried by the dishwasher. IF there is an soap residue, ONLY THEN will I use a slighly damp cloth to wipe around the aperture.
In the time it takes to load and unload it, I can wash almost everything faster by hand, leaving the odd pan to soak in the sink.
Glasses I usually wash with cold water and nothing else (unless something greasy has come into contact with them), shaking the excess water off before drying.
I can recommend the Riedel cloths (wineware stock them) for drying off.
Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
I hand wash my glass because there's rarely more than one in use, so it's just easier to go ahead and wash it than to put it in the dishwasher and have to wait. (Or, more correctly, end up with 7 of them in the dishwasher from a week's worth of drinking.)
I do need to pick up a few more - a dozen ought to do it - so that I can at least have a couple of friends over and serve a couple of different Ports. I don't need 100's of glasses in order to do a 14-Port vertical for 12 people, but I could use more than the 5 I currently have.
I like the Riedel Vinum series enough that I should probably just get another 8 of those and call it good, but I'd really like some of those glasses with the IVdP etching on them.
I have just ordered, for Selwyn College, 72 of the INAO glasses from Winebox. Cost each: £1.15+VAT = £1.32¼ ≈ $2.19. Possibly the cheapest source anywhere.
jdaw1 wrote:I have just ordered, for Selwyn College, 72 of the INAO glasses from Winebox. Cost each: £1.15+VAT = £1.32¼ ≈ $2.19. Possibly the cheapest source anywhere.
Have you seen these glasses yet? I would be interested to know if these are the standard size as I thought the standard size for a tasting glass was 35ml and not 21. When you see them, please say what you think of them and whether you would recommend them for use in tastings.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
AHB wrote:Have you seen these glasses yet? I would be interested to know if these are the standard size as I thought the standard size for a tasting glass was 35ml and not 21.
I think the ISO specifies that they can be made in a few different sizes including, I think, one smaller than 21cl for fortified wines. I'd be also interested to hear about the quality, as I think one of the flaws in the ISO specification is that there is no rule on the thickness of the glass...
AHB wrote:Have you seen these glasses yet? I would be interested to know if these are the standard size as I thought the standard size for a tasting glass was 35ml and not 21. When you see them, please say what you think of them and whether you would recommend them for use in tastings.
I have not, but a helpful person has just sent me a photograph. They appear to be the usual INAO glasses, the glass perhaps too thick but otherwise entirely functional.
