It’s of course a matter of personal taste but still… Would love to hear about your opinions out there? Is there a number one, or ”best”, or a single, particular glass that you prefer for Champagne?
I like Zalto Universal for more vinous Champagnes but then again it’s the glass I use for almost everything.
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Zalto Universal or similar
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My favorites are and have been the Les Impitoyables Champagne glass that have been discontinued for many years but not unattainable for the creative.
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Another zalto universal vote here, although I’ve been using the spiegelau definition universal of late, basically a knock off of the zalto at half the price.
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Typically drink Champagne out of Grassl Liberte … for aged Champagne that’s lost most effervescence, I’ll do the Cru.
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I’ve been wondering about the Spiegelau. You’ve been happy with it? The missus has already broken two Zaltos and the price keeps increasing…
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What about Lehmann Jamesse Prestige Grand Champagne? Anyone using it?
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About 80% of the grower producers we sell (we work with 150 producers) do not consider Zalto good for champagne.
I would either go for Lehmann or Riedel Stemless wings Riesling/Sauvignon Blanc, the latter is very good if you want more of the minerality etc.
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This is an excellent glass.
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Me too. This is also a pretty good “universal” wine glass IMHO
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I am a firm believer of Zalto whites for my champagne, but Sydonios empreinte is a serious contender(only if it didn’t break so easily…)
On casual occasions at home, I usually use Riedel performance savignon blanc because it’s nearly unbreakable and guests love it.
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partial to Gabriel Glas Universal given the price
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My favorite. But they break if you look at them wrong.
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In actuality, the best glass often depends on the composition, style, and age of the wine. Different sizes and shapes can have a large effect on how well or poor a wine shows. For an all around Champagne glass that almost always allows a wine to shine, I have found the Jancis Robison-Richard Brendon glass to be the best. It never disappoints me. Somewhat ironically, this glass wasn’t designed for Champagne, but rather as a universal glass as it is the only wine glass in the range.
Yes, other glasses will be superior for specific wines, but most of the time, we aren’t pouring a wine into a dozen glasses to discover which glass is best. That is a fun activity, but it makes the tasting about the glass choice and not the wine. If I had to make a second choice, it would be the aforementioned Lehmann Jamesse Grand Champagne. Both the handmade (often referred to as the Prestige, 450mL volume) and machine made (410mL volume) show very well especially for Chardonnay dominant wines, those that aren’t overpowered by oak, and wines that are younger to mid-term in age.
Some other glasses that don’t get mentioned as often that I also enjoy and find interesting are the Sydonios Universel, Empreinte,and Esthete and the Darsonville R. 1996 that Bereche uses/promotes.
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Those Darsonville glasses aren’t easy to find. Some background on Darsonville (and Champagne with chocolate): https://www.wineterroirs.com/2018/02/chocolate_and_champagne.html
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I drank Deutz Rose out of solo cup on Thanksgiving and it was just as good as if it was in a hand blown unicorn tear infused wine glass.
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Come on, everyone knows that unicorn tears don’t allow the bubbles to propagate correctly. I would never use a glass made with unicorn tears. They ruin everything.
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I have done the same thing due to the cost and I have a broken an unreasonable number of Zaltos. for me, they’re roughly equivalent stems and are so much more affordable that right now by that instead of Zalto.
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I think how much one prizes the bubbles is an important variable, as wider mouth glasses diffuse the bubbles faster, often much faster, in my experience. That said, I like the Zalto white for a narrower stem (their champagne stem is far too small) or the Grassl Mineralité for a wider one.