Do you smell your glasses?

Last night I washed and set a couple of wine glasses on a tea towel to dry, as I usually do. While putting them away this morning, I stopped to inspect one and noticed a strong perfume scent. Not caused by the dish soap; it was the tea towel. I will check them again later in the day to see if it blows off, but now I'm wondering how often, or if, that scent has tainted my opinion of the wine in the glass. Do you always sniff before you pour?

JB

Last night I washed and set a couple of wine glasses on a tea towel to dry, as I usually do. While putting them away this morning, I stopped to inspect one and noticed a strong perfume scent. Not caused by the dish soap; it was the tea towel. I will check them again later in the day to see if it blows off, but now I'm wondering how often, or if, that scent has tainted my opinion of the wine in the glass. Do you always sniff before you pour?

When I pull glasses out, especially ones that we don't use frequently, I will often smell a few to make sure that there are no off odors associated with them. It doesn't take much smell to change a wine.

Mark Lipton

Julia,

I hope you are well. I have not had this issue. For a variety of alergy reasons, we use detergents that are non fragrence in the house. Interesting problem though. The usual problem is that many of the glasses are not used much of the time and need to be cleaned again before use.

Hi Julia,
Those drying racks which allow you to hang the glass upside down (suspended) works really well.

Salute

Julia,

I hope you are well. I have not had this issue. For a variety of alergy reasons, we use detergents that are non fragrence in the house. Interesting problem though. The usual problem is that many of the glasses are not used much of the time and need to be cleaned again before use.

Hey David! Good to see you! Welcome back!
Using a non-fragrant detergent would help. I failed to mention that I use a miniscule bit of dish detergent, a designated soft cloth wine glass scrubber when washing, and always check for soap smell upon rinsing the glasses. The thing that really got me was, that for all my care, I failed to think of the scent of the tea towel permeating the stems. LIve and learn.

Hi Julia,
Those drying racks which allow you to hang the glass upside down (suspended) works really well.

Salute

Thanks Victor. Just today I started checking those out on Amazon. Would be the solution, wouldn't it? I just wondered if they were really sturdy. Riedels break pretty easily.

Yes, I smell the glasses when I get them out of the cupboard; I smell decanters, too. About three years ago, I noticed this being done by the bartenders at the bar I frequent and asked them what they were doing. The answer was obvious in retrospect but it did provide a little epiphany moment for me.

Yes, except when invited or in public places. Smells from bad washing up are quite common, even in restaurants to the extent that they can be smelled through the first tasting measure offered by the sommelier. The French even have an expression for it - "goût de torchon" (dish-cloth taste).

Jon,
That's what I wondered: do others routinely sniff the glass. As I said I am vigilant about sniffing them after washing to make sure I've thoroughly rinsed them of all detergent. This took me by surprise, though. I suspect a vinyl drain surface would have the same effect. I need to make it a habit to sniff before pouring.

Tim,
Love that the French have a special term for it. (If not they, who??) My glass had goût de torchon au Downey.

I recall reading a caution about the wine glasses hanging above bars where the patrons sit at the bar. This isn't an issue in Ohio anymore, as it is smoke-free, but apparently the smoke collects in the suspended bowls and produces an undesirable effect. I imagine there would be a bit of nicotine residue, as well. Yuk.

I store glasses bowls up otherwise they pick up off odors. How do people feel about tempering glasses? Only for Italian wine? Or too pretentious?

I never put glasses on towels or paper. You can get inexpensive sink liners that you may need to cut to a manageable size (don't cut too small initially). They are about 3/16" thick and do a nice job of drying glasses overnight, though I do like to shake off the excess (or briefly drain before putting on the mat). I do hand wash all of my stemware.

Richard,
You are correct that a nonporous surface would eliminate the problem. I'm also considering the hanging rack that Victor suggested.

BTW..I checked the subject glasses again this evening and the perfume had blown off. Almost a non-issue, unless I had used them as soon as I took them off the towel. I will definitely be more cognizant of this problem in the future. The nose knows!

JB

I store glasses bowls up otherwise they pick up off odors. How do people feel about tempering glasses? Only for Italian wine? Or too pretentious?

Thomas,
What do you mean by "tempering" the glasses? Is it the process of priming them with the wine by swirling a bit and dumping before filling it again to taste?

JB

I think rinsing out with a small amount of wine is an excellent idea, as there are all kinds of smells that can get into a glass.

I was tasting a tank sample a few months ago presented by the producer in a jug. The wine was faintly corked; I was aghast at the possibility that the whole tank was bad (happens occasionally), but it turned out that the old armoire where the jug was kept smelled of TCA. Extreme example, but still...

I sniff all glassware before using it. It helps to exhale a bit into your glass; the warmth and moisture will make stray scents jump up more.

Rinsing with wine is a good idea... when I remember it!

i'm not sure just smelling them is enough. i usually breathe INTO them with my nose and then smell. you get a better idea when the air is more humid. and of course using unscented dryer sheets would help the problem - or hanging tea towels to air dry.

and of course using unscented dryer sheets would help the problem

Really? Aren't they just chemicals, mostly?

I store glasses bowls up otherwise they pick up off odors. How do people feel about tempering glasses? Only for Italian wine? Or too pretentious?

Thomas,
What do you mean by "tempering" the glasses? Is it the process of priming them with the wine by swirling a bit and dumping before filling it again to taste?

JB

Yes. I sometimes do it. Some people object to it in a restaurant setting because it's too much show.

i'm not sure just smelling them is enough. i usually breathe INTO them with my nose and then smell. you get a better idea when the air is more humid. and of course using unscented dryer sheets would help the problem - or hanging tea towels to air dry.

I don't like fabric softeners they seem to leave a residue on the towel that transfers to the glass.