Can a Glass Make Wine Taste Better?

Can a Glass Make Wine Taste Better?

Looking for ways to increase revenue? The right glass may be the key to selling more wine by enhancing the entire wine-drinking experience. If you’ve ever had a glass of the same exact wine, varietal, and vintage on different occasions, yet it somehow tasted different than you remembered, it likely wasn’t just your imagination. Did you know the glass it’s served in can make a dramatic difference?

We recently learned from the experts at Luigi Bormioli, 25^th generation Italian glassmakers, that not only does a beautiful glass showcase the wine for a stunning visual presentation, but it can also enhance its flavor. In other words, glass making isn’t just an art. It’s also a science. Luigi Bormioli designed Supremo to be far more than just a pretty piece of stemware.

Supremo's Flavor-enhancing Features

Supremo blends the distinctive lines of a martini, balloon wine, and hi-ball glass into a single, statuesque wine glass. According to the experts at Luigi Bormioli, here’s how the geometry of these features works to enhance the flavor of the wine:

• The chimney balances the wine aromas, and its cylindrical shape directs the wine to the center of the tongue where flavor receptors pick up on sweet and umami flavors, away from the sour and bitter receptors toward the back and sides of the tongue.
• The conical shape condenses the alcoholic vapors on the wall to keep them from interfering with the wine’s aroma.
• The smooth connection between the conical and convex shape keeps aromatic molecules intact during the wine swirling process.
• The wide, convex surface enables a high wine oxidation on the surface with a low oxidation underneath to support development of delicate aromas.
• Epicure indentation at the base of the bowl shows the real wine color reflection.
• Ultra break-resistant stem is titanium reinforced.

The Taste Test

Curious to know if all these features truly enhance a wine’s flavor? We were, so we conducted a taste test with a 2018 Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon in four different wine glasses: a Supremo Bordeaux glass, a fluted goblet, a balloon wine, and a stemless wine glass.

The first thing we noticed was the color of the wine in the glass. The indentation at the bottom of the Supremo glass offered a “window” into the wine, allowing enough light to pass through that it glowed like a ruby. The other glasses didn’t allow any light through the wine, giving it an inky appearance.

The next step in our tasting session was the first sniff of the wine. We noticed the Supremo glass gave off a smoother aroma, where the other glasses, especially the fluted goblet, had a stronger alcohol smell, which is typical of young wines like the one we tested. Then we took a sip. The straight chimney of Supremo is surprisingly comfortable to drink from, with such a smooth feel that you barely notice it. The fluted goblet has a nice feel as well but offers more of a pour than a sip with a shape that doesn’t lend itself to intake control. The balloon-shaped stemmed and stemless glass both suddenly seemed less comfortable to drink from due to the angle of the rim.

Then came the swirl. A quick and fun way to open up a wine, the swirl felt natural and easy with the Supremo glass. With lots of room and the conical shape, the glass lends itself to a spirited, yet splashless swirl, the exact opposite of what would have happened had we tried it with the fluted goblet. The balloon glasses worked nicely for swirling as well.

It was time to move on to the second sip of the now aerated wine. With a bite of cracker in between each sip to cleanse our palates, much to our surprise, we noticed a discernible difference amongst the glasses. Flavor was harshest from the fluted goblet, better from the balloons and softest from the Supremo, which made it taste like it cost about 50% more than it did.

The Supremo lived up to its name from first pour to last sip, making for a perfect and entertaining wine drinking experience. We are hooked on this glass, and we think you and your customers will love it too.

Contact us to learn more about how Supremo glasses can help you generate additional revenue both on and off-premise.