WHY DOES SHAPE MATTER?

A glass development at Riedel is not based on an imagined design and is not born at the drawing board. Every shape is tested with the help of the world's best tasters to filter out the good and bad shapes for a particular grape variety and wine style. Tasting wine is about appearance, aromas, and flavors, but often a glass does not serve to convey the wine's message. Over the years, the RIEDEL family has gained interesting scientific experiences that revealed why the shape of the bowl influences aromas and flavors. The differences between the bowl shapes were so significant that they convinced the testers they were tasting different wines.

The grape variety itself is the most important factor in determining the relationship between fruit, alcohol, tannin, and acid in the wine. As a result, the RIEDEL family successfully created bowl shapes that further enhanced the characteristics of the specific grape variety during tasting. This is when they began to recognize the fact that size and shape play a crucial role in conveying the message of a sophisticated wine.