When I started wine tasting seriously, I took a WSET 1 class using ISO wine-tasting glasses. As I progressed with my wine knowledge, I began using glasses made specifically for red or white wine, or more specifically for a grape variety. I received a set of four wine glasses from Josephinenhutte in Germany, which Kurt Josef Zalto, an amazing 6th generation glass designer, designed: A glass for red wine, white wine, a Universal glass, and a Champagne glass. I tested these first three glasses using a bottle of red and white BC wine to see how the aromas and flavours of these wines were affected by glass shape.
About JOSEPHINE Glasses
Before going into my tasting notes, I think it is important to cover the JOSEPHINE collection glasses by Josephinenhutte. These glasses are individually hand-made with lead-free glass. Its unique design with the bulge at the bottom of the bowl is meant so that the aromas and flavours of the wines are released more quickly.
According to Josephinenhutte, they are “Driven by the vision to find the original shape of the wine glass, a glass that releases the aromas of a wine better than any other: this is how the JOSEPHINE collection was born. Every glass is mouth-blown and created by means of numerous production stages…While constantly rotating the blowpipe, the glassmaker skilfully blows the hot liquid glass into the beech wood mould. This is how the fine, wafer-thin goblet – the cuppa – of the wine glass is created. The stem is then stretched out of the goblet with pliers and a liquid glass mass is applied, from which the base of the glass is crafted with the use of specialised scissors in a rotational movement.”
When I first opened the boxes containing these wine glasses I was worried about their fragility, but as I held each glass and tasted wine with them, the glasses felt sturdy and strong, especially the stem, which is usually the weak point for wine glasses. Each glass is lightweight and balanced. The lip of each glass is cut and not rounded, like less expensive wine glasses. You may notice the bulge at the bottom of each glass bowl. This bulge made it easier for me to swirl the wine, but it does make it a little harder to judge the opacity of red wines at the core. I also noticed that the glasses have a deep pit going into the stem of the glass. It makes the red wine glass look outstanding, and I think it may add to bubble production in the Champagne glass. I will try the Champagne glass separately.
JOSEPHINE No 1
From Josephinenhutte, “The JOSEPHINE No 1 is ideal for delicate, fruity, and rather light white wines as well as rosés. Young Pinot Blancs, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blancs or Grüner Veltliners make a focused, balanced, and concentrated impression in the glass. Lighter Chasselas, Müller-Thurgau, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Silvaner wines taste equally as good in the JOSEPHINE No 1 as do lightly chilled red wines such as Trollinger, Gamay and Pinot Noir. The glass is versatile: even Port wine, Madeira and Sherry are shown to their best advantage. However, the No 1 shows its particular strength with fine Rieslings – including those with some residual sweetness and a lot of finesse.”
JOSEPHINE No 2
From Josephinenhutte, “The JOSEPHINE No 2 brings every medium-weight white or red wine to its optimal development. From Pinot Blanc and Viognier to Sangiovese and Tempranillo – the glass is convincing for a wide range of wines. It is thereby practical, and emphasizes subtle notes as well as the nuances of more complex wines. Mature red wines, to which not too much oxygen should be added, and high-quality vintage champagnes also demonstrate their full potential in the JOSEPHINE No 2.”
JOSEPHINE No 3
From Josephinenhutte, “JOSEPHINE No 3 glass is a proven Grand Seigneur. It has a large surface area, so that full-bodied and complex red wines have enough contact with oxygen. Glass designer Kurt Josef Zalto has succeeded in squaring the circle with this glass – a combination of a Bordeaux and Burgundy glass. Full-bodied, concentrated and seductive Pinots, Bordeaux blends, Baroli, Syrah and the like can unfold in the JOSEPHINE No 3 in an expansive manner. Moreover, this masterpiece offers the perfect stage for full-bodied and extracted white wines, such as barrique-aged Chardonnays, as well as icon wines such as those from Napa Valley, Oregon, South America, South Africa and Australia.”
My Wine Tasting Notes
I tasted BC’s Hester Creek Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2023 and Hester Creek Estate Winery Cabernet Merlot 2022. BC wines are known for the freshness of fruit flavours and bright acidity. Let’s see how these wines tasted using these glasses.
In the tasting notes, the first, detailed note covers the glass designed specially for white or red wine, followed by briefer tasting notes for the Universal glass and the opposite glass for the wine, e.g. the red wine glass for the white wine. My decanting notes are only for the glass specifically for white and for red wine.
Hester Creek Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2023 (BC $19.99)
Appearance: A clear, bright lemon colour.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas of fresh stone fruits, pears in particular, and a hint of grape stem. No change to the aromas after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry with a medium to medium-plus body. The wine starts with higher acidity but then gets smoother mid-palate making the wine have a soft, smooth texture. Fresh, bright stone fruit flavours, pears and apricot skin in particular, plus some drying grape stem toward the finish. Light minerality as well. The higher acidity leaves a light acidic prickle on your tongue. No change to body or flavours after decanting.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with tart stone fruit flavours and light pepperiness at the very end. Maybe sweet stone fruits on the finish after decanting.
You get fresh BC stone fruit aromas and flavours in the glass. Bright flavours. Open and enjoy.
Rating: 
Universal glass notes: Lighter aromas of fresh stone fruits. Aromas do not last as long after swirling. Dry, medium-minus body, and lightly round mouthfeel. Higher acidity leaving a light acidic prickle on your tongue. Medium-intensity fresh stone fruit flavours plus some stony minerality. Medium length with tart stone fruit, a touch of pepperiness and some bitterness on the finish. The wine gets rounder and softer with air. 
Red wine glass notes: Almost no aromas. Medium body, dry with a round mouthfeel. Medium-plus acidity leaving a light acidic prickle on your tongue. Medium-intensity stone fruit flavours. Medium length with tart stone fruit and some grape stem flavours. 
–
You can see how a wine glass with too big a bowl decreased the aromas of this white wine and reduced the length on the finish. The white wine glass has a wider variety of fruit flavours compared to the other wine glasses and the length was longer.
Hester Creek Estate Winery Cabernet Merlot 2022 (BC $21.99)
Appearance: This wine has a clear, deep mainly garnet, but a hint of ruby colour. About 80% opaque.
Nose: A medium-plus intensity level of aromas. Fresh raspberries and blackberries plus oak and cinnamon then some nutmeg with air. No change to the aromas after decanting.
Palate: Dry with a medium body, lightly round, with a soft, smooth mouthfeel. Many different fruit flavours come alive in the glass including bramble berries, blackberries, black cherries, raspberries and plums, plus touches of floral and oak. Medium acidity and tannins. The wine has a rounder mouthfeel after decanting. No change to flavours or body.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with juicy berries, some pepperiness and light tannins. This wine is smooth and round on the finish. No change to the finish after decanting.
A quality wine with no need to decant.
Rating:
Universal glass notes: A deeper, dull garnet colour. No ruby tint. Medium-minus intensity aromas of purple berries and a touch of oak. Medium-plus body with a smooth and round mouthfeel. Floral, a touch of capsicum that burns off, juicy berries, and blackberries flavours. Medium-plus length with medium drying tannins and pepperiness.
White wine glass notes: A deeper, dull garnet colour. Lighter aromas of purple berries. Medium-plus body, smooth with a thicker mouthfeel. Floral, purple berries, and raspberry flavours. Medium acidity and tannins. Medium length finishing with juicy berries and some pepperiness after time in the glass.
The aromas of the Universal and white wine glass were lighter than in the red wine glass. The wines were fuller bodied from the Universal and white wine glass compared to the red wine glass. Probably as the bowls were smaller. The red wine glass had a greater variety of flavours. Overall the red wine glass performed the best, followed by the Universal glass.
Overall, I really enjoyed sipping wine from these wine glasses. The appropriate glass brought out the most character of each wine, with the Universal glass coming in as a reasonable second choice. The glasses feel sturdy even though the bowls are quite thin. The bulge in each glass makes swirling the wines much easier. If you enjoy wine and spend the time to evaluate what is in your glass, I recommend purchasing these glasses.
Thank you to Josephinenhutte for sending me this tasting set to review and to Hester Creek for providing me these wines to taste.
Where Can I Buy These Glasses and These Wines?
You can order these four wine glasses together as a tasting set (CAD $480) online from the Josephinenhutte website.
The two wines are available to purchase online from the Hester Creek Estate Winery website. You can also purchase them at Everything Wine and select Save on More stores. The Cabernet Merlot is available at BC Liquor stores.
