GLASSOLOGY
AMERICANAIRLINES’ ACCLAIMEDWINECONSULTANT
ANDOENOLOGIST
KENCHASE
SHEDSSOME LIGHT
ONTHESHAPEOFWINEGLASSESTODAY
.
What betterway to celebrate a crisp
fall day than a picnic? The
BMW PICNIC
TOTE
($120, bmw-online.com) is our
choice for carrying your outdoor dining
essentials. It’s packedwith everything
you needbut the cheese andwine. For
that, we spoke to cheeseguru Laura
Werlin, author of LauraWerlin’s Cheese
Essentials, at this year’s Food&Wine
Classic inAspen. Her suggestions:
a five-cheese lineup that includes a
triple-cream cheese, a goat cheese,
an aged sheep's-milk cheese, a blue
cheese, and a cloth-wrapped cheddar,
such as Cabot ClothboundCheddar.
Forwine, try a riesling, whichWerlin
calls “cheese friendly.”—
LORI STACY
TotingaTaste
of theGoodLife
W
ineglassology isacoined
fictitious—but fitting—
phrase thatdealswith
aromascienceand relates it tohow
wineglassshapesandsizesmightaf-
fect thearomasand tasteof awine.
The theory issimple:Differentgrape
varietieshavevarying intensitiesof
fruitexpression.Asaromas in thewine
glassexpand (causedbyaromamole-
culesmovingasyou twirl theglass), the
molecules follow theshapeof theglass,
deliveringaromas to theolfactorysys-
tem (yoursenseof smell)withvarying
intensities.Thebestexamplesupporting
this theory is the tulip-shapedglass that
isbulbousat thebottomandcloses inat
theopening, forcing therisingaromas
intoaconcentratedstreamof thosegre-
gariousmolecules (AmericanAirlines
hasrecently introduceda largerglassof
thisshapeonselect flights).
How is the tasteofawineaffected?
The taste theory isbasedon thewine's
beingdelivered todifferentpartsof the
palateasaresultof thesizeandshape
of thewineglassopening.Anarrow
openingwouldhit the frontof thepalate,
whileawideopeningwouldhit the front
of thepalateaswellas thesides.Differ-
entpartsofourpalateshavereceptors
thatdetectsweet, sour,andsaltsensa-
tionsandso, theoretically, ifonecandi-
rect the flavors toaspecificarea, thenan
increase in intensityshouldberealized.
The theory issound…butmore
independent experimental research
isneeded. In themeantime, doensure
youalwayshaveenough room inyour
wineglass toplaywith thewine, and
enoughwine toenjoyyourownstudies
on thesubject. It’snotanexact science.
NapaSouvenirs
These finewine glasses, fromRiedel's Vinum collection, are designed for enjoying specific varietals of wines. From left to right: glasses for bordeaux/cabernet,
burgundy/pinot noir, chablis/chardonnay, shiraz/syrah, sauvignon blanc, champagne, andmontrachet/chardonnay. riedel.com
IN GOOD TASTE
For awine-country gift they’ll remember, try one
of the small-batch specialty items from
NAPASOAP
COMPANY
.Wine-inspired bar soaps, bath salts, aro-
matherapy home diffusers, and shaving gift sets are
a fewof theback-to-basics, environmentally friendly
products available. napasoap.com
—
JANETTHOMAS
FALL 2009
celebratedliving.com
18
©RIEDEL, THEWINEGLASSCOMPANY,RIEDEL.COM
