Glass tasting notes: We started with a bone dry riesling with a nice honeysuckle and volatile set of overtones. We then poured the wine into the bar wine glass. The nose was muted by 75% or more and so were the flavors. We then went to the clear plastic party cup and there was no nose and almost no flavor. I swished and swirled and tried to get more but it did not make a huge difference. Back to the riesling glass and it was all back.

Chardonnay next in their bowl-like montrachet glass. We sampled, went to the riesling glass, to the bar glass and to the plastic cup. Same results- progressively less to no nose and flavors. Back to the chard bowl, nice nose and flavors.

Pinot noir next, same results. It's glass starts life as a montrachet glass and then becomes the waisted style glass that turns in and then out as you go up. If you jam your nose in, you get more of the alcohol and woody stems and barrel components, but at the glass top is was more pleasantly balanced. I can;t wait to try this glass on other PNs.

Last was the cab and bord glass. Mine had a plastic cup over it and no pour in it, which meant I got the specially decanted cab from the Eve decanter.They have done testing and supposedly this decanter is 15x more effective than a Vinturi which they kind of implied was next best in speed aeration. Anyway, cab poured, same tests, same effects. We held our nose also with this (or was it the PN? I forget) and drank and it was like the plastic cup- minimal flavor.

So science-wise this is all related to the sense of smell. If you can't smell well, taste is severely impacted. The shapes the glasses are geared to the volatiles in the types of wines. Rieslings usually have a bit less alcohol, so a shorter bowl is ok. Alcohol is the heaviest and lowest airborne layers. Then stems and leaves, then oak and barrel and lastly the perfumed fruit odors. Swirling mixes then, but they are separate. The height and width and overall shape are tuned to the general grape types. They said zins would be best in the Riesling glass for nose, but I question the alcohol. Perhaps it stays low. Rieslings usually have a bit less alcohol, so a shorter bowl is ok- I forgot to ask about that. They said try wines in glasses and see what you like.

Another factor was head tilt. If you tilt your head further back (narrower rim, have to get around the nose) the front of the tongue is hit first more. I did not see that as when you move the tongue and swish it seemed not to matter. I would have to say that it is almost 100% based on nose and smell and they pretty much agreed.

49 people paid and the wine guys (the distributor who contributed bottles and the wine store owner Tony) all were amazed. No one was skeptical after they were done. I was very impressed.