Chef & Sommelier Reveal Up

Start with the shape and then choose the size. Soft is available in 30, 40 and 50 cl; the 30 cl is the glass for Riesling, Sauvignon and other wines whose freshness you don't want to lose. The 40 cl is the all-rounder in the series. Intense comes in 45 and 55 cl and is intended for Cabernet, Syrah and mature red wines with firm tannins; the 55 cl gives that wine the air it needs. For small tasting portions alongside this series, see the tasting glasses, and for a broader selection, see the wine glasses.

Do not pour beyond the widest point, approximately one-third of the bowl. Place the same wine side by side once in a Soft and an Intense, and you will immediately hear the difference at the table: the same bottle smells sharper in the narrow bowl and fuller in the wide one. The 21 cl flute is different. It is designed to retain carbonation, and that works both with pure champagne and with 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 version based on the same idea, take a look at the Open Up from the same house. If you're looking for larger bowls for Burgundy and aged red wine, you'll find them among the large wine glasses. And if a bottle is still half full after a tasting evening, the wine stoppers will keep it tasting fresh until the next day without the wine going flat.