TEST 3: PINOT NOIR

It took a while, but here’s the third and final part of my wine-glass comparison, with the most distinctive varietal-specific glass of the three.

Pinot Noir wines, with their often delicate aromatics, usually need a glass with a wide aroma collecting area and therefore a large bowl. The Pinot glass I used here is a Schott Zwiesel ‘Pure’. As with parts one and two of this comparison, I compared this specialist glass against a Bormioli Rocco ‘Electra’ universal glass and my Gabriel Glas ‘One for All’ Wine Folly Edition tasting glass, said to be designed to enhance all wines.

THE WINE

Park Lane – Pinot Noir 2014. From the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County, California, it displays dried cherry fruit framed in a decent amount of mushroom and potting soil earthiness. A great value $7 find at Grocery Outlet, Atascadero.

THE GLASSES

Bormioli Rocco Electra – Indistinct earthy fruit. Soft mouthfeel. Tart strawberry flavours on the finish.

Gabriel Glas – Medium intense dried cherry and smoke. Some potting soil earth. Definitely more complex compared to the Electra. Good mouthfeel and balance.

Schott Zwiesel – A little less intense aromatics than the Wine Folly glass, but better than the Electra. Earth, smoke, dried red fruit, a little floral. Balanced, mild acidity and the best mouthfeel of the three.

CONCLUSIONS

The Gabriel Glas and Schott Zwiesel both clearly outshone my trusty old Bormioli Rocco with this wine. It didn’t come as too much of a surprise that the Pinot specific glass was my favourite, but the Gabriel Glas One for All again impressed me, displaying excellent complexity and intensity.

If you’re serious about tasting and appraising wine, then the Gabriel Glas is highly recommended. Having a do-it-all glass as a benchmark is well worth it. If, however, you’re not necessarily making notes, but want each style of wine you drink to be at it’s best, it’s a closer call. Personally, if you have the room, I’d still suggest having a few specialist varietal glasses.

To view part one of this comparison, click here. For part 2, click here.

To shop for Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, check out a huge selection at Wine.com.

Darren.