Mikasa Oenology glasses

When it comes to wine glasses, it seems that Riedel is the first brand that rolls off people's lips and I was reminded of this in the couple of tempranillo threads that are going on at the moment, when Riedel's 'tempranillo' glasses were recommended.

I just wanted to mention these Mikasa glasses I received in a gift pack a couple of weeks ago - whether they work for tempranillo or not, I don't know, nor do I particularly care- but for pleasurable casual drinking by someone like me who likes to muse over wines, they are just terrific.

They are from the Mikasa Oenology Range, the ones they call "Open Up" for wines 1-3 years old. I taste a lot of new release wines, so that doesn't worry me.

<img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/userpix/58_mikasaglass_2.jpg" align="right">When I first saw a picture of these glasses, I didn't like them, but after using the 'pro taster' almost every night, I've fallen in love with them.

They are kind of angular near the bottom of the bowl, which makes them nice to hold, and with that narrow conical bottom of the bowl, when you tilt the glass over a white background to look at the colour, there's just that little bit remaining in the bottom of the glass which shows off the meniscus edge and colour gradation into the core of the wine much better than anything else. For someone like me who gets a lot of pleasure from the colour of wine, this is fabulous. Of course you don't want to fill your glass above the point of the angle to get the best results for this.

Evidently they are made a material called Kwarx which enhances the lustre and is more resistant than normal glass to daily wear and tear but I'm not going to drop mine to see if it bounces.

My other favourite tasting glass is the Zerrutti Ultimo and I still love these too. I've had these glasses at several functions but at this stage I've not had the chance to compare the two, as I don't own a Zerrutti.

BTW - this is a public service messgae. I am not in the glassware business. As I said, they were a gift. A very nice gift.

Cheers,
Sue

With such a flat bottom, isn't it hard to swirl?

[James Roscoe]

Mikasa GAVE these glasses to attendees of the annual DC Wine and Food Expo in March. If you were sharp-eyed, you could walk out with a set of six! I find them very nice to use and easy to swirl. Would they replace my Riedels? Probably not, but they are nice and I can take them on the road as I don't really mind breaking them. They were free.

With such a flat bottom, isn't it hard to swirl?

Absolutely not. I am a winetaster. I couldn't recommend a glass I couldn't swirl. Anyway, the bottom is not flat. The picture may just give that impression.

Mikasa GAVE these glasses to attendees of the annual DC Wine and Food Expo in March. If you were sharp-eyed, you could walk out with a set of six! I find them very nice to use and easy to swirl. Would they replace my Riedels? Probably not, but they are nice and I can take them on the road as I don't really mind breaking them. They were free.

Free is always good. I'm not sure what your everyday Riedel is, but I hardly ever use my Riedels. We get the Burgundy bowls out occasionally, when we have a suitable Burg to put in them. I think these Mikasa are great for everyday young wines.

Hi Sue,

I also have Mikasa oenology glasses. I use them for everyday and special event wine drinking. I have the white tasting glasses (Sauvignon Blanc), the tannic red glasses (Cabs, syrahs, barolos, etc.), and the soft red glasses (pinots, tempranillos, etc.) and I just love them. I really like the angular shape because it makes the glasses look so distinctive. I find them easier to swirl than round glasses actually. Color seems to be better because of the clear "kwarz." My teenage kids doing dishes have yet to break any and that says something about their durability.

BTW mine were a gift also.