Chef & Sommelier Reveal Up

Start with the profile and only then with the size. Soft comes in 30, 40 and 50 cl; the 30 cl is the glass for riesling, sauvignon and other wines where you do not want the freshness to fall away. The 40 cl is the all-rounder of the range. Intense comes in 45 and 55 cl and is meant for cabernet, syrah and mature red wine with firm tannins; the 55 cl gives that wine the air it asks for. For small tasting measures alongside this range, look at the tasting glasses, and the wider choice is under the wine glasses.

Do not pour beyond the widest point, about a third of the bowl. Put the same wine side by side in a Soft and an Intense once and you will notice the difference at the table straight away: the same bottle smells sharper in the narrow bowl and fuller in the wide one. The 21 cl flute is a different matter. It is made to hold on to the carbonation, and that works for straight champagne as well as for a bellini or a kir royal.

The bowls are thin at the rim, which you feel on the first sip, but the stem is drawn from the same piece as the bowl. That seamless transition is exactly where cheaper glassware gives way. Dishwasher safe; choose a short programme and place the glasses so the bowls do not touch. Store them upright in the cupboard, not on the rim.

If you want the angular take on the same idea, look at Open Up from the same house. If you are actually after larger bowls for burgundy and old red wine, those are with the large wine glasses. And if half a bottle is left over after a tasting evening, the wine stoppers keep it in good shape until the next day without the wine going flat.