A top notch stereo system should be a clear window through which the sound flows with no indication that there is anything between you and the music source and in a way I have a similar opinion of a wine glass.

Too heavy and I can’t stand it, if the rim is too thick it imparts a clumsy feeling that is so off-putting. Of course it has to have a stem to keep the body-heat of one’s hand away from the wine.

One famous enologist once said “a wine glass should be invisible”. Of course the shape and size is everything and believe me it imparts an absolutely enormous influence on the taste and smell of the wine.

At home we have a ridiculous collection of glassware and I may select a Pinot Noir glass designed for red Burgundy and my wife might pick an extremely delicate, handblown Pinot glass that she bought back from Oregon. We will try both, maybe even a third or fourth and a decision will be made on which to use after tasting.

To get you off to a good start and to keep it simple I would like to share information on three different crystal glasses that we carry in our stores that are from Ravenscroft.

Rather than the standard lead crystal, they are titanium and this has the benefit of not only adding brilliance but also quite a degree of tensile strength to resist chipping and breakage.

By the way if you are wondering how you can see through lead or titanium, it is in fact an oxide of these metals that is used in fine glassmaking.

A Ravenscroft Chardonnay “Grand Cru” glass, if filled to the rim would hold 15 ounces.

At a recent gathering we served two fine Chardonnays in them. In one glass we had the Domaine Antonin Guyon Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru 2011 and in the other, Beringer “Luminus” 2012 Chardonnay from Napa Valley. To quote Guyon “Fermentation in barrels at low temperature and aged in oak for 15 months, beautiful dress lightly browned, aromas of honey and a very fine nose. Good persistence on the palate with lots of fluffy”. Their words not mine.

We tried the Beringer Luminus in a matching glass, as Parker, who had given it 93/100, wrote “Comes across as a first growth Chassagne-Montrachet or Meursault with hazelnut, honeysuckle and buttered citrus”.

The Meursault sells for $97.30 and the Beringer for $41.60 and to be honest, the group was divided on their favourite which just shows how influential preference of style is as they both exuded such refinement. We sell the Chardonnay glass for $9.50.

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Malbec require a bigger glass which allows more contact with oxygen to “open up” the wine. Our Bordeaux/Cabernet glass from Ravenscroft, that sells for $10.50, is 21 ounces although of course no more than five or six ounces should be poured into it at one time. A wine that would be quite lovely in one of these is our Chateau Bernadotte 2009 Haut Medoc that I served recently for a tasting group.

This 47 percent Cabernet Sauvignon/ 47 percent Merlot and six percent Petit Verdot is from a classic Bordeaux vintage. It is opulent and fleshy with black cherries, black currants and a touch of spice. $39.

Delicate Pinot Noir demands a large bowl shaped glass so that the aromas can expand and be forced up through a relatively narrow opening. Ours from Ravenscroft is 26 ounces overall and it sells for $10.50. A perfect candidate to test this stemware out has just arrived and it is our Union Wine Company “King’s Ridge” 2012 Pinot Noir from the Willamette (remember Willamette damnit for correct pronunciation) Valley in Oregon. Geographically parallel with Burgundy, it reflects delicacy and light colour which are products of a northern climate. It is Fresh and vibrant with rich fruit and at $22.95 very good value for Oregon at this quality level.

This column is a paid for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd where Michael Robinson is Director of Wine. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits is available online at www.wineonline.bm.