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James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 11:17:37 AM

hankj

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or most anyway

have you read this short editorial from WS about a month back?

"Today I only use one kind of glass (and one decanter), irrespective of the varietal or appellation. The stem is the Forte Collection Burgundy glass by Schott Zwiesel, which sells for about $9 a stem."

http://www.winespectator.com/wssaccess/show/id/40862

Laube doesn't argue that wines don't taste different in different glasses, but that there is no evidence of meaningful patterns, and that generally good wine tastes good in any decent wine glass.

Not sure what I think of it, but it has made me feel better about drinking most wines in a cabernet glass.

< Message edited by hankj -- 10/22/2009 11:33:01 AM >

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 11:35:30 AM

grafstrb

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For the most part, I don't disagree with the basic premise (only need one glass for most wines), but I do disagree with that one glass being a Burg. glass. A bowl that big will do horrifying things to high-octane wines (think CdP, CARhone, etc... in other words, the wines I drink the most of

). My "one glass" of choice is the Riedel Ouverture Red Wine glass. I use it for probably 80% of the wines I drink.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 11:41:15 AM

Khamen

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I use a curly straw in the neck of the bottle - QPR is great

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 11:43:43 AM

jhannah27

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quote:

ORIGINAL: hankj

"Today I only use one kind of glass (and one decanter), irrespective of the varietal or appellation. The stem is the Forte Collection Burgundy glass by Schott Zwiesel, which sells for about $9 a stem."

I use the Bordeaux version of this line of glassware almost exclusively myself. Great shape and really durable (my wife has dropped an empty one onto a thin rug covering porcelain tile before and it bounced). I love these glasses and since they are so cheap, I really don't mind so much if they get broken.

I do have other shapes, but they are all packed away in storage at the moment, but these are an excellent substitution and I feel give any wine the chance to shine.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 11:45:07 AM

dsGris

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I read that article and posted to another thread about stemware. Unfortunately I got the author wrong, my apologies, I caught it when going thought the mag. later. I agree, My son and D-I-L are concerned about our use of mismatched glasses and buy us nice ones as presents. I have to remember to use them when they are over. I like the generic, robust, commercial type for daily use. Breakage then is not a problem, Oh Well! Anything but a Mason jar works, but I do like a stem.
Ciao

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 11:58:10 AM

deb293

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I laughed when I read that article. I was wondering when JL would finally come around. My glass:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schott-Zwiesel-sensus-taster-glasses/dp/B000IOM92U

Too bad Amazon US doesn't carry it. I got my first 6 in Germany and managed to get 12 more in the US (and gifted 6). Very resistant to breakage, and the stem fits nicely in the dishwasher. No lead.

< Message edited by deb293 -- 10/22/2009 12:01:33 PM >

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 12:42:01 PM

cgrimes

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In general, I think JL is full of s**t so I don't put much stock in anything he has to say. While I don't subscribe to the Riedel "I have a glass for every different type of wine" mentality I do believe that certain wines (White Burgs, Pinot of all sorts, Nebbiolos) deserve bigger bowls. Otherwise a standard red wine shape like any of the above will suffice.
Craig

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 12:59:24 PM

RoundersRob

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quote:

ORIGINAL: jhannah27

quote:

ORIGINAL: hankj

"Today I only use one kind of glass (and one decanter), irrespective of the varietal or appellation. The stem is the Forte Collection Burgundy glass by Schott Zwiesel, which sells for about $9 a stem."

I use the Bordeaux version of this line of glassware almost exclusively myself. Great shape and really durable (my wife has dropped an empty one onto a thin rug covering porcelain tile before and it bounced). I love these glasses and since they are so cheap, I really don't mind so much if they get broken.

I do have other shapes, but they are all packed away in storage at the moment, but these are an excellent substitution and I feel give any wine the chance to shine.

Yup - GREAT glasses. I use the Bordeaux and Burgundy versions.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 1:31:41 PM

ikkaariainen

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Graf, my friend, much as I agree with you on most thing viticultural especially your tasting notes and taste in wine in general on this one I am going to have to disagree - whether you use one or several different glasses I think really is almost an academic point but if you are going to just limit yourself to one I think it should be a really big-bowled one, my favorite is the big Riedel O-series stemless pinot / nebbiolo glass...

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 3:00:00 PM

duck833

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I use a red cup in the parking lot at Autzen Stadium.

Go Ducks!!!

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 3:06:29 PM

grafstrb

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ikkaariainen

Graf, my friend, much as I agree with you on most thing viticultural especially your tasting notes and taste in wine in general on this one I am going to have to disagree - whether you use one or several different glasses I think really is almost an academic point but if you are going to just limit yourself to one I think it should be a really big-bowled one, my favorite is the big Riedel O-series stemless pinot / nebbiolo glass...

I drink way too many CARhones, CdR's and CdP's, and other Rhone varietals for a big bowl to be my sole imbibing weapon of choice. I hear where you're comin' from, but it just doesn't fit with my regular drinking regimen. I do sometimes prefer the glass I posted above to the Riedel Vinum Syrah glass b/c the Vinum glass is a bit narrower at the top, which doesn't always work well. All that said, I do tend to geek-out a bit with glasses, but not terribly so:

Bdx/Cabs go in Riedel Cab. Vinums – although I’m starting to think I might prefer these in the glass I posted above.
Pinot and Chards go in Riedel Burg. Vinums – I hate drinking Pinot from non-Pinot glasses, but will do so if I have no other option.
Riesling, Tokaji, and Sauternes go in Riedel Zin. Vinum – hate drinking sweet wines out of large glasses
Rhone varietals and Zins go in glass posted above, or Riedel Syrah Vinum.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 5:57:38 PM

mocamro

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quote:

ORIGINAL: grafstrb

For the most part, I don't disagree with the basic premise (only need one glass for most wines), but I do disagree with that one glass being a Burg. glass. A bowl that big will do horrifying things to high-octane wines (think CdP, CARhone, etc... in other words, the wines I drink the most of). My "one glass" of choice is the Riedel Ouverture Red Wine glass. I use it for probably 80% of the wines I drink.

I use this same glass for just about everything I drink...seems to do well enough

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 6:07:37 PM

tacman

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quote:

ORIGINAL: cgrimes

In general, I think JL is full of s**t so I don't put much stock in anything he has to say. While I don't subscribe to the Riedel "I have a glass for every different type of wine" mentality I do believe that certain wines (White Burgs, Pinot of all sorts, Nebbiolos) deserve bigger bowls. Otherwise a standard red wine shape like any of the above will suffice.
Craig

Who really cares what James Laube thinks?

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 6:51:41 PM

Paul S

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I can't quite agree with him there. Sure... reds in a particular wine glass - I drink most of mine, plus Chards and most Champagnes, from a Schott Diva range Burgundy glass. I have a Bordeaux shaped one by Rabbit that I use for good cabs or as grafstb puts it, other "high octane" wines.

Where I have beef with Laube is with sleek white wines and sweets. I would imagine a Sauvignon Blanc with all its acidity to taste rather awful from a Burg glass, with flavours diffused and acid sploshing all over. What about fine Mosel Riesling - that would be a real waste wouldn't it, with all the delicate, focused features being muddled up. Even worse - Sauterenes or Tokaji from a big bowl. Yucks.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 6:56:39 PM

tacman

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I've got much bigger things to worry about ... just broke off the screw on my favourite Laguiole trying to pull the artificial/plastic cork out of this absolutely wonderful bottle of 2000 B&H Cuvee Lola

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 7:31:19 PM

grafstrb

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quote:

ORIGINAL: mocamro

I use this same glass for just about everything I drink...seems to do well enough

we got ours at Booker. the glasses are the only reason we ever go tasting there anymore ... the wines are way too big, gloppy, alcoholic, and expensive for us ... but the glasses are nice!

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 7:39:00 PM

grafstrb

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Paul S

Where I have beef with Laube is with sleek white wines and sweets. I would imagine a Sauvignon Blanc with all its acidity to taste rather awful from a Burg glass, with flavours diffused and acid sploshing all over. What about fine Mosel Riesling - that would be a real waste wouldn't it, with all the delicate, focused features being muddled up. Even worse - Sauterenes or Tokaji from a big bowl. Yucks.

I agree 100% with everything you say here, paul.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 7:42:19 PM

deb293

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In spite of what the picture might look like, the Schott Sensus accommodates at least 10 oz. With a standard pour, it's only half full. Plenty of room to swirl...

That being said, I do have separate stems for Champagne. For you Sauternes fans, Riedel's Sauternes glass is not small at all...but not a big bowl either. I have no big bowl stemware, and do not feel short changed in any way.

< Message edited by deb293 -- 10/22/2009 9:04:04 PM >

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 7:54:01 PM

grafstrb

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quote:

ORIGINAL: deb293

For you Sauternes fans, Riedel's Sauternes glass is not small at all...but not a big bowl either.

I've been awfully curious about this glass ... do you own this glass? if you do, what are your thoughts on it? curious to hear anyone's thoughts on this, actually ... not only deb's.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 7:56:01 PM

deb293

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I bought the Sauternes glasses when Riedel had an outlet warehouse on LI (long closed) and got these stems at a HUGE discount. They are very fragile, and the rim folds inwards in a way that makes it hard to enjoy your wine (weird drinking angle). Save your money. My 2 cents.

I love dessert wine, but almost never use them. If a glass can be pretentious, this is it. Restaurants don't tend to serve dessert wines in a glass of this shape, either. But if you have to have them, I think the shape has been knocked off by another stemware mfr.

< Message edited by deb293 -- 10/23/2009 7:09:32 AM >

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 8:04:49 PM

tacman

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I own 4 Reidel sommelier Sauterne glasses ... I will drink Sauterne, TBA's/eisweins, and Alsatian SGNs out of nothing else (except for maybe the bottle).

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 8:23:16 PM

Hollowine

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quote:

ORIGINAL: tacman

I will drink Sauterne, TBA's/eisweins, and Alsatian SGNs out of nothing else (except for maybe the bottle).

...and the occasional navel...

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 8:31:58 PM

Paul S

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quote:

ORIGINAL: tacman

I own 4 Reidel sommelier Sauterne glasses ... I will drink Sauterne, TBA's/eisweins, and Alsatian SGNs out of nothing else (except for maybe the bottle).

Completely agree! I was not convinced until I had a Tokaji Essencia transform from an extremely good dessert wine in a normal white wine glass into the nectar of the gods in a Riedel Sommelier Sauternes Glass.

To my mind, it is the one most effective and the most "worthwhile" glass in the entire sommelier range. The others, you can probably get good alternatives at a fraction of the price. This glass, on the other hand, is special.

< Message edited by Paul S -- 10/22/2009 8:32:40 PM >

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 8:42:15 PM

deb293

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Worth it at $65/stem?? That's what I'm seeing in the US. C'mon. (At $27 I thought they were pricey...)

< Message edited by deb293 -- 10/22/2009 9:07:40 PM >

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 10:02:10 PM

mocamro

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quote:

ORIGINAL: grafstrb

quote:

ORIGINAL: mocamro

I use this same glass for just about everything I drink...seems to do well enough

we got ours at Booker. the glasses are the only reason we ever go tasting there anymore ... the wines are way too big, gloppy, alcoholic, and expensive for us ... but the glasses are nice!

LOL...where's that rolling around on the floor smiley?...mine are all from events (HdR, etc...)...and I do have some pinot glasses from a pinot event, but since I almost never drink pinot...

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/22/2009 10:38:33 PM

Paul S

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quote:

ORIGINAL: deb293

Worth it at $65/stem?? That's what I'm seeing in the US. C'mon. (At $27 I thought they were pricey...)

I think that depends on how often a person / household drinks desserts wines, and how much the wines costs. If you're drinking $500 bottles of Tokaji Essencia, D'Yquem or TBAs every now and then, or even if you regularly drink cheaper but still good desserts, say aged Sauternes, or Ausleses, then I think the glasses are an absolutely worthwhile investment.

Of course, if you are only going to break them out half a dozen times a year, than $65 each is very pricey.

< Message edited by Paul S -- 10/22/2009 10:39:14 PM >

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/23/2009 4:24:17 AM

tacman

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Hollowine

quote:

ORIGINAL: tacman

I will drink Sauterne, TBA's/eisweins, and Alsatian SGNs out of nothing else (except for maybe the bottle).

...and the occasional navel...

Eloquently understated ...

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/23/2009 6:46:38 AM

jamjo

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I drink Chianti out of a jelly jar. Prefer the Ball Classic 1 pt. Picked a set of 6 fish bowls at a house sale for $3.00 per. Thin glass, thin stem and plenty of aeration. I prefer Bdrx and Rhone blends so it is perfect.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/23/2009 7:00:16 AM

Bryan Collins

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I don't have the foggiest idea who Mr Laube is, but I hope he doesn't drink much Champagne.

I use the Schott Zwiesel Enoteca Rioja as my main everyday red wine glass - Enoteca is their hand-blown series - think Sommelier but 70% cheaper. I break out the Zalto Burgundy glasses for good red Burg and Nebbiolo. The only Sommelier glass I use is the vintage Champagne - it's an immaculate Champagne glass - I find most flutes are too narrow.

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RE: James Laube only uses one glass for all wines - 10/23/2009 7:08:33 AM

wadcorp

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