The theory that drinking glasses can influence the wine tasting experience has been expounded for generations now by Austrian glass maker Riedel. It has enabled the company to sell a range of glasses specifically designed for white and red grape varieties and to charge premium rates for its glassware.

Some years ago company ceo Georg J Riedel arrived in Dublin to spread his gospel and I recall being unimpressed by his demonstration. So it was with some scepticism that I went along to the spanking new Convention Centre Dublin (whose atrium reminds me of a giant tumbler) to meet his son Maximilan who heads the company’s US operation.

I expected a smooth selling job- and was not disappointed in that respect. Employing techniques beloved of knife salesmen at the Ideal Homes Exhibition, he led us along a path of discovery heavily laden with suggestions. We were given five glasses, four of which were Riedel and the other a standard competition tasting glass. We also had three wines- two reds and white.

Max explained the Riedel line that tasting a wine depends a lot on how it enters the mouth and the shape of a glass can dictate the areas of the tongue that it hits first. We tasted a  Chardonnnay from Hawkes Bay in the wide-bowl glass which Riedel recommends and then in a ‘degustazione’ glass designed for Sauvignon Blanc and yes- there were differences with the recommended glass emphasising the fruit and the other glass producing a tighter, drier mouth feel.

Next up was a Pinot Noir from Oregon for which Riedel has specially designed its XL restaurant glass. The shape forces the wine into a narrow flow pattern which helps with visual appreciation, nose and taste.  Transferring this wine to other glasses (particularly the Chardonnay) resulted in a very noticeable loss of aroma and a dilution of taste.

The most interesting glass was a stemless tumbler recommended for Cabernet Sauvignon. Once again this scored over the alternatives, but I feel it would have been a lot better with a stem which would have prevented the glass getting finger marks, would have maintained the wine temperature and would have enhanced visual appreciation. These tumblers are however very popular in the USA, partly because they are light and stackable.

Max Riedel spiced his demonstration with words of advice for restaurateurs. Examples:
• Pour two fingers of wine into a glass when serving.  The less wine in a glass the more diners drink.
• Open reds two hours before serving. Wine is like a flower- too cold and it stays closed, too warm and it withers.
• Decant where at all possible- diners like the theatre.
• An incorrect wine glass can make the wine taste very dry and make diners reach for the water jug. Result- lower wine sales.
• Riedel Pinot Noir glass is ideal for Champagne.
• A Riedel glass made of plastic would make sense. It is the shape, not the material that is important.
• Polish wine glasses with two microfiber cloths, one in each hand.

II emerged from this demonstration less sceptical than I was before, but I still believe that  the Riedel heavily-laden sales pitch is somewhat overstated. Max said that glass shapes are decided after extensive workshops with winemakers who suggest which shapes bring out the best in their wines.

And after all- they are the experts.

Riedel glasses are distributed here by Mitchell Wine Merchants and wholesale ex-VAT prices range from €2.95 to €50 per unit.