Sydonios glasses have been a big hit in Bordeaux, where they are now used at over half of the 1855 cru classé estates. These glasses are the brainchild of one Antoine Schvartz, a native of Reims who’d been working in Bordeaux. Antoine had to do a lot of tasting in his job, but he’d never been quite satisfied with the glassware on offer. He wanted a glass that offered ‘no intermediary between the wine and the taster’. He was bothered by the duopoly Riedel and Zalto had over Bordeaux tasting rooms. The idea of creating his own glass nagged at him. Eventually, he gave in.

Antoine is at pains to point out how science-led his approach to glassmaking was. He read every learned paper he could on the subject. He got Bordeaux University involved. Seven prototype glasses were tested by over 100 wine professionals. Eventually, the data showed that only two shapes made a significant difference to the way we perceive red wines, so Sydonios have a relatively narrow offering. There is a white glass, a glass for heavy, tannic reds, and a larger, rounder glass for lighter, more perfumed reds. These glasses come in two separate lines, with the Terroir range being bigger. The Racine glasses are perhaps a more comfortable size for most people’s dinner tables. In the Racine range, the Universal and the Esthete are both very versatile. All the glasses are hand-blown and lead-free. There are also some very smart decanters. (NT 23/06/25)