Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc

DOES the glass you drink from effect the taste of the wine?

The Austrian glassware company Riedel conducted some tastings recently to illustrate just how much influence glass can have on a wine.

Riedel make a wine glass for every classic grape variety and wine style as well as for most spirits — they even stock a Jaegermeister glass! The company also make some of the most exotically shaped wine decanters I have ever seen. They start at around €45 but you can also spend up to €470 for the Eve decanter which is a metre tall and looks a little like a rattle-snake poised to strike.

Thankfully the wine glasses are a little more accessible with prices starting at around €15 for the stemless glasses which I often use for wine tasting.

The tutored tasting I attended used stemmed varietal glasses and we tasted a Pinot Noir, a Syrah and a Cabernet Sauvignon. In each case the wine both smelled and tasted significantly better when using the correct glass. For example the flared top and large bowl of the Pinot Noir glass made the Napa Cabernet taste earthy and green and the Pinot Noir smelled a little like glue in the wide rimmed Cabernet Glass.

Of course few of us have enough money or cupboard space to buy glasses for each different wine style, but next time you open a decent bottle try tasting it from different shaped glasses to see if you can spot a difference.

Riedel is stocked by Brown Thomas, Ballymaloe Kitchen Shop, Curious Wines, Jus de Vine Portmarnock and many other fine wine shops around the country.

* Cork Wine School Autumn courses begin later this month with one-day, nine-week and 15-week WSET-accredited courses. 021-4296060 or [e-mail]

* Rathmines VEC Wine Appreciation Evening Course, starts Sept 23 for 10 weeks, taught by myself. www.rathminescollege.ie; tel: [phone]

Best Value under €10

Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Chile — €8.99 (was €14)

Stockist: O’Briens

O’Brien’s September sale finishes this weekend. This is an intensely fresh crisp Sauvignon Blanc from one of Chile’s great producers. The Cabernet Sauvignon is the same price and also worth checking out.

Chateau Grand Mazerolles 2010, Cotes de Blaye — €9.99

Stockist: Lidl

Lidl’s French wine sale started earlier this week and has a few gems. From the excellent 2010 vintage this has savoury ripe plums and bramble fruits on the nose and palate and a good long finish and shows just how reliable Bordeaux can be in a good year.

Chateau des Perligues 2012, Graves — €9.99

Stockist: Lidl

Light fresh lemon-lime aromas with a hint of washed stones. Solid juicy style made from the traditional Graves blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon with the Sauvignon the primary flavours but the creamy lemon of Semillon coming through on the finish.

Best Value under €20

JP Muller Cremant d’Alsace — €14.99

Stockist: Lidl

This lively fresh sparkler has touches of lime and citrus on the nose with persistent elegant bubbles, a soft palate, a nice elegance, and not a little richness on the finish.

Gigondas Tables de Bacchus 2012 — €14.99

Stockist: Lidl

I preferred the Gigondas in the tasting to the Chateauneuf-du-Pape so it is worth spending an extra €2. This has bright spicy red and dark fruit aromas and a soft plummy finish perfect for an Autumn steak and kidney pie or roast beef.

Alsace Grand Cru Wiebelsberg — €12.99

Stockist: Lidl

Ripe fragrant apple and honeysuckle aromas with a fruit-driven palate and a dry finish. This is a blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and other grapes and I loved it’s exotic fruits and elegance. I know Riesling has bad memories for many of you but give this one a go.