For The Love Of Port

Hello,

I'm one of Scheiny S's friends that will be attending her port tasting in a week and a half. Like her, I found that I didn't have 3 good taster glasses. So doing some research here and elsewhere, I noticed a couple things:

1. IVDP has a reference glass
2. Riedel Vinum Port glass is an excellent alternative
3. Most folks here tend to use regular wine glasses for their tastings

I also saw that back in 2014, Celia noted that the Ridel glass looks very similar to an ISO wine tasting glass. Looking THAT up, I stumbled upon this: Ravenscroft Crystal Essentials Port/International Tasting Glass ($35 for 12 as of this moment).

For this price and style, I may very well purchase this for our tasting. And since I found this indirectly through information provided on this forum, I thought I would share it with everyone and get their thoughts on this.

So, thoughts?

I think those Ravencrofts are the same ones I have and what I use for large tastings. They aren't as good as a Riedel, but they work perfect for larger tastings and are far more durable as well. And dishwasher safe, just use really hot water and just a little bit of soap so there is no residue left. Oh and at $35 for a dozen FAR better priced.

I agree with Andy - the Ravencrofts glasses look exactly like the ones we've all purchased in bulk for Port tastings. We have a total of I think 30 dozen of them amongst FTLOP members here in the Seattle area.

They're quite functional and pretty sturdy. I think we've lost a total of 3 over the course of 8 years' worth of tastings. $35/12 is roughly what I've paid for them in the past, too, so the price sounds right.

.... And with two moderator endorsements, I've placed the order. Thank you.

Given that I'll be traveling for this and future tastings, it's probably good to get something durable.

Steve H wrote:.... And with two moderator endorsements, I've placed the order. Thank you.

Given that I'll be traveling for this and future tastings, it's probably good to get something durable.

Anytime. And welcome to the forum!!


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Steve H wrote:.... And with two moderator endorsements, I've placed the order.

That's a pretty low standard!

In all seriousness, I'm just a Port lover like anyone else here. My name's in green because I live 3 miles from Roy and for some strange reason he thought it would be a good idea to make me a moderator on the forums. There are a LOT of EXTREMELY knowledgeable people here, and I learn from them every day too!

I'm going to add to what Glenn mentioned. Regardless of he and I being moderators and Roy the King of Ports, we all learn from everyone else on this site. The learning never stops and it's what makes everyone here and their contributions so wonderful and always welcomed. I love learning new things from everyone here, and there's always lots to learn.

Thanks Steve for that link. I have a set of IVDP glasses, but these look great for tastings. I just ordered a set myself.

I have two cases of Marjorie Lumm's INAO glasses---great if you need a lot of glasses and under $3.00/stem. They are just a shade under 6.25 inches tall.

They are sturdy. We have broken 6 in 6 years, but none due to failure---all drops/knock-overs on our part.

try zalto sweet wine glass, also a great choice, but expensive


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I'm not recommending these over the Ravenscroft from the OP (which I've gotten to use several times and have been very happy with). I just found them and wondered what folks think of them? Magnesium infused?

https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Enthusiast- ... ref=plSrch

Scheiny S wrote:I'm not recommending these over the Ravenscroft from the OP (which I've gotten to use several times and have been very happy with). I just found them and wondered what folks think of them? Magnesium infused?
https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Enthusiast- ... ref=plSrch

I can not offer any comment on the value of magnesium infusion. Disregarding that, they seem expensive to me. Long ago (there's a thread on here somewhere) I taste tested a bunch of different glasses and the cheap ones did just as well as the expensive ones.

2 piece construction (stem is either glued or welded on), rolled lip... those look an awful lot like the INAO Tasting Glass that so many of us have purchased. And compared to the old Marjorie Lumm price (around $2.75 to $3.00 per stem), these are too expensive to me.

Out here in Seattle we have, I think, 11 cases (so 33 dozen) of these glasses, and I can only recall 2 of them ever breaking. Then on top of 2 breaking we've managed to somehow lose another 6, but that's a different issue that magnesium infusion isn't going to be able to help with.

So I think I'd pass. They don't appear to be high-end glasses, but at their level you can find much less expensive alternatives.

Agree with others. Way overpriced for what appears to be a poor quality stem.

I thought there was one brand named like "iso" or something that was popular? I am pretty stocked on IDVP's, so never looked any further.

Scheiny S wrote:I'm not recommending these over the Ravenscroft from the OP (which I've gotten to use several times and have been very happy with). I just found them and wondered what folks think of them? Magnesium infused?

https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Enthusiast- ... ref=plSrch

I will stick up for these glasses, which are my go to glass. I am sipping from one right now as I type this. (It is filled with Croft 1950.) I looked around for glasses when I got into port a few years ago and these were the ones I chose. There are tradeoffs with different glasses, but these reflect my preferences and would be the ones I recommend.

They are crystal and the magnesium is used in place of lead. They have all of the virtues of crystal, but not the lead. Crystal is clearer than glass, which allows a better view of the wine. It also less brittle and allows glasses to be made thinner to enhance this quality although these particular glasses are still thicker than your typical crystal wine glass. I know that you have to leave wine in the glass for a long, long time before lead leeching becomes an issue, but I prefer not to have it at all. The magnesium also has another virtue and that is it makes the crystal highly break resistant. That is the main selling point for me. I typically hand wash all my port glasses rather than use the dishwasher because I am obsessive, but I am also a klutz. Cleaning up after having a couple of glasses of port does not help either. These glasses will resist breaking after being dropped from a short distance, knocked over or banged against a faucet nozzle and that has come in handy on more than one occasion. I had friends who used Riedel wine glasses and then would talk about how they break them all the time at $50 or more a glass. Either be really, really careful with your glasses or idiot proof your life. I chose the latter.

As for the rounded lip, I do not know why it has one. It is not very pronounced, but it is there. I know that is not a virtue on crystal wine glasses and it is not a feature on any of Wine Enthusiast’s other Fusion series wine glasses. It does not bother me, but it would be better without it. It does not put a physical or psychological distance barrier between you and your wine, but is mainly a feature of glasses designed for restaurants. I am not an expert on glass manufacture, but, after examining my glass, I cannot see any seams that indicate that the bowl is fused to the stem. They look like one piece.

As for price, I get them directly through Wine Enthusiast rather than Amazon and, yes, they are expensive although much less so than Riedel or even Schott Zwiesel, which are their main comparers. However, they go on sale at various times of the year so, if you time things right, you can get them cheaper. I just ordered a bunch more for a port tasting I am having at the end of February. They are currently on sale at $24.99 for a set of 4. That is $6 and change for crystal.

Those Ravenscroft glasses look like they have many of the same virtues and are good value. However, the Amazon page is silent as to any break resistant qualities, which is my main preoccupation.

I got to test out the IVDP glasses this fall and none of their key features resonate with me so I would not prefer them for my own solitary use to the Wine Enthusiast glasses.

I use Schott Zwiesel Diva decanters because they have the same lead free, break proof properties as well as a good shape and high breathability.

Thanks for the post, Jason. I appreciate you sharing your empirical evidence, that was really fun to read. Regards to both you and Kelly, and thanks for stopping by here. Good to know you may be reading here too.

Share with us how that 1950 was, please!