Whoever says size and shape doesn’t matter is lying. At least when it comes to wine glasses and wine tasting.
Ticket to Taste – an exclusive food and wine masterclass presented by Plumm Wine Glasses at Project 49 – explored the different ways wine glass size alters and enhances wine flavour.
The evening was hosted by Rocco Esposito, former Wine Director at Vue de Monde, and owner of Project 49 – a new café-deli in Collingwood with a local, Italian-inspired menu.
I’ve been to a lot of wine tastings, but none quite as unique as Ticket to Taste. Part science experience, part sensory safari, Rocco led us through a tasting of five different wines paired with locally sourced canapes from Project 49.
Each wine sample was presented in distinctively shaped glasses, specific to the wine variety and designed to accentuate the flavours of the wine.
We began by sipping pinot grigio out of a standard pub wine glass. You know, the really short ones you get at mid-market pubs? It tasted okay – like a standard $8 happy hour white. Next, we tasted the same wine in Plumm WHITE Glass – a tall white wine glass specifically designed for crisp, fresh white wine varieties. I instantly tasted a whole new flavour profile. The wine came alive with zesty citrus, crisp fruit aromas, and slightly oaky flavours. I was astounded at how much the flavour profile could change based on the shape of the glass. It tasted like a completely different wine!
Rocco summed it up perfectly: ‘using the right wine and wrong glassware makes you taste like a detective and argue like a barrister’.
We continued to taste and compare different wines in different glasses, appreciating the change in flavour throughout. Medium bodied, oak influenced whites, like chardonnay, were meant to be drank from a “short, fat” glass (AKA Plumm WHITEb Glass), whereas, medium to light bodied wines like pinot noir should be enjoyed from a tall rounded red wine glass with a peculiar curved lip at the top (AKA Plumm REDb Glass).
Plumm Glassware presented a whole new spin to wine tasting and wine flavour profiles, and we were lucky enough to be gifted a Plumm starter kit to take home. A substantial upgrade from my often lazy mugs of red wine on Thursday nights.
Plumm Wine Glasses will be hosting more Ticket to Taste events across Australia. Visit their website to find out when the next event is or learn more about the brand.
– Ember
Ember is an American turned Aussie. Her love affair with Melbourne goes back four years, and she still can’t get enough of this city! Discovering new hideouts and hidden gems around Melbourne is her hobby. Marketing Strategist by day, spontaneous adventurer, brekky enthusiast, and aerial acrobat by night.
Project 49
107 Cambridge Street
Collingwood VIC 3066
www.projectfortynine.com.au
The venue is wheelchair accessible.
