Zalto Wine Glasses – The Burgundy Glass
The wine world can be complex, in essence every bottle has something different to offer. There are however “categories” or styles in which you can bundle wines. This allows you to group them. Especially when you are starting out in the world of wine it might be overwhelming, but after a while you will discover how certain wines share the same profile and characteristics.
But as there are differences, wouldn’t it be right to treat wines differently? And enjoy them in a different way? A way that gets the most out of the potential of each wine? We would certainly say your glass of wine deserves that. And that is where your wine glass comes in. Because it does make a difference. A lot of difference.
Different Glasses
The shape of a glass is a big contributor to your overall wine experience. Depending on the profile of a wine it helps you to get the wine’s aromas out and gives way to the acidity, structure, body and even the alcohol level of a wine. And it is not just about that, also the age of a wine plays a big role here. As different smells and flavours are different for young wine and older wines. All of this is why there are wine glasses on the market that cater to different wine categories or styles.
Besides shape the thickness of a glass also contributes to your experience. Thinner glasses help to accentuate the colors and acidity of the wine and transport it more smoothly into your mouth. It also has something to do with a psychological aspect. The way taste, smell and overall impression of a wine are built up in the brain.
Zalto Glassware
One of the world-wide leaders in the development and production of wineglasses is Zalto from Austria. Along with Riedel they put themselves in the top of the glass chain, producing high quality glasses fitted for different wines.
Zalto’s strength lies in their expertise and capability to produce super thin mouth-blown glasses, which give you the best experience when combined with the right shape, as we have learnt earlier.Their most sold glasses come from the “Denk Art” series, where each glass follows an archetype and its characteristics. Some of the different glasses in this series are: Burgundy, Bordeaux, Sweet Wine, Sparkling Wine, White Wine and the Universal glass. For this occasion, we take a deeper look at one of the specific glasses, Zalto’s Burgundy glass.
Zalto Burgundy Glass
The Zalto Burgundy glass is one of the specific wine glasses in the handmade range of Zalto. The name might be a bit misleading, because you could think it is only suitable for wines that come from Burgundy. But is this true? Not really, although it does cater to two of the most important wines in Burgundy (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir).
This glass integrates acidity with fruit by enhancing both the bouquet and the sweet components of the wine. It was conceived for elegantly structured red and white wines with substantial aroma and fine length.
Some other candidates for this glass are Blaufränkisch, Syrah and Nebbiolo (Barolo or Barbaresco) as well as concentrated Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc. No wonder we like this glass, because it fits well with a lot of our favorites!
Our conclusion:
Although we understand that wine glasses such as the ones from Zalto cost more than your average wineglass we would suggest that you invest in some. Even if you start with 2 or 4 it is a good way to learn about the difference in perception and appreciate them. You will also get more out of your wine, which it obviously deserves if you ask us.
Over time we have tasted and drunk probably thousands of different wines, both from “regular” glasses and Zalto glasses. And we can tell from our own experience; once you start developing your taste, and learning about wine, you understand the value of different wine glasses and good stemware like the Zalto’s.
Personally, we are a fan, and we have at least two glasses of every type, but we took our time to build this collection. Now we have them we like to use them for every wine we pour. The glasses have a great design, are an excellent match with the wine they are designed for and are super light. There is one downside to that however. They certainly are more fragile. And for that reason, you will have to wash them by hand, and be careful not to brake them.
Gift yourself a box of these and start enjoying your wines even more!
The Zalto Burgundy glasses in this review are available at Bovino for a price of €87,00 (box of 2). You can find a full overview of their assortment here.
