Riedel and the science of the varietal-specific glass

Tempe Reichardt’s comment about Austrian glassmaker Riedel inventing the varietal-specific glass spurred me to look into the concept’s history. And Tempe was right: Riedel (or more specifically, former CEO and father of current CEO Claus Josef Riedel) came up with the idea of the varietal-specific glass in 1958, with the introduction of the Burgundy Grand Cru glass in 1958. That glass holds 37 ounces of liquid, almost 50% more than an entire standard bottle of wine. It’s now in MOMA’s permanent collection.

Riedel used that glass as a springboard into a dizzying variety of different glasses for different varieties of wine and, today, other liquors. The varietal-specific glass has come to define the company, even becoming part of Riedel’s tagline. They now offer more than 10 glass shapes for wine alone, ranging from new world shiraz to oaked chardonnay. And for the varietal-specific skeptics, Riedel runs tasting seminars to demonstrate the power of their glasses, one of which convincedthe New York Times.

But is there scientific evidence to back up Riedel’s formidable marketing? Although the company claims to do extensive scientific analysis to come up with its glass shapes, few if any independent studies confirm the concept. A 2000 study found that glasses, including a standard water glass, had only very subtle effects when non-expert wine drinkers smelled wine without touching or seeing the glass. That suggests that the differences people perceive when actually using different glasses are driven mainly by visual and tactile cues or by suggestion, not by the aromatic effects that glassmakers often cite. So an elegant glass like Reidel’s or Gabriel Glas’s may indeed make wine taste better, but perhaps not for the reasons you’d expect.