I recently sat down with Georg Riedel, 12th-generation head of his family-owned glassware company. Riedel has dedicated his life to creating unique glass shapes that maximize the gustatory pleasure derivable from specific grape varietals.

Some of his vessels are short and stout, some tall and willowy, the shape dependent on how the chosen grape's volatile compounds behave on their way to the nose and the palate.

"Although we've been in business since 1756," Riedel said, "we've always been innovators, more New World, if you will. That's why we decided to customize our glasses to fit individual grape profiles. When it comes to maximizing aroma and flavor, we don't rely on tradition over science; to the contrary, we're most concerned with results."

Riedel and his staff spend a lot of time trying to convert wine drinkers to his point of view. Several years back, I went to one of his seminars, and I still remember my surprise at how much better chardonnay tasted in the proper glass.

Years later, it still doesn't matter whether I drink the bright Isole e Olena Chardonnay, with its grassy peach, lime and pear elements; the creamy Moccagatta Chardonnay, full of lemon curd, minerals and lime peel; or the slightly austere William Fevre Chablis Champs Royaux, redolent of green apples and pears. In each case, the right glass makes the wine taste terrific.

Riedel makes several versions of each glass, differentiated mostly by how much hand labor is involved, which in turn dictates cost. But while I'd previously been convinced that shape matters, I wasn't so sure about price. Is a $200 pinot noir glass any better than one that costs $20 when drinking, say, Blackstone Pinot Noir Sonoma Reserve, brimming with cola and fresh strawberries, or the Laboure-Roi Pinot Noir Maximum, with its earthy dried cherry and leafy smells? What about Giant Steps Pinot Noir Sexton Vineyard, with its complicated scents of roses, violets and soft forest floor?

"I certainly think so, but you should determine this for yourself," Riedel said. Two weeks later, three 4-foot-tall boxes showed up on my doorstep, crammed with enough glassware to build a cathedral. It took me two hours to unpack it all, and then I invited my best friend, Jerry, over for a test run that focused on chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon.

So, what did we learn?

Well, although the handblown, more expensive Sommelier series generally outperformed its machine-made, less-expensive cousins (in decreasing order of price, the Vitis, Vinum, Flow and stemless "O" series), that relationship didn't necessarily always hold, especially with cabernet sauvignon-based wines.

Both the very affordable Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon California, featuring moderate cherry and blackberry flavors, and the more expensive Waterstone Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, with its core of chocolate and silky red berries, tasted best to both Jerry and me in the Vitis glasses, which run about $50 for two stems.

In fact, by a slim margin, we generally preferred the Vitis glasses to the Sommeliers, which are three to four times more expensive. Both are made from leaded crystal, and although each feels quite comfortable in the hand, the wines seemed livelier when we were sipping from the Vitis glassware. Perhaps this is a point to keep in mind when you're buying a stocking stuffer for the wino in your life.

No question, Jerry and I had a great time trying all the shapes and sizes of Riedel, and although I wasn't able to talk again with Riedel before this column went to press, I'm pretty sure from our previous conversation what he would have made of our experimental results.

"I drink wine every day," Riedel said at the end of our time together. "For me, high quality is crucial. But of course, what's most important is with whom you share your wine."

And that's a sentiment with which I think we can all agree.

benweinberg@comcast.net

Recommended:

White

* Isole e Olena Chardonnay 2006 (Tuscany, Italy), $35

* Moccagatta Chardonnay 2006 (Piedmont, Italy), $19

* William Fevre Chablis Champs Royaux 2006 (Burgundy, France), $27

Red

* Blackstone Pinot Noir Sonoma Reserve 2006 (California), $17

* Laboure-Roi Pinot Noir Bourgogne Maximum 2005 (Burgundy, France), $18

* Giant Steps Pinot Noir Sexton Vineyard 2006 (Yarra Valley, Australia), $30

* Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon NV (California), $7

* Waterstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (California), $25

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