The Pinot Noir Grape
Pinot Noir is a red wine grape varietal. It comes from the french words for “pine” and “black” and is predominantly grown in the Burgundy region of France. This grape most often creates lightly colored, medium-bodied, low-tannin wines.
Optimal Shape for the Glass
Keep in mind that using the best pinot noir glasses possible will enhance every bottle you taste from there on out, so it’s worth the investment and time spent researching.
For wines created from the pinot noir grape, you are looking for a glass that will balance the high acidity and bring forward the fruity sweetness that pinot noir is known for.
This usually means that you need a glass with a wide bowl but a narrow rim. Something that will allow the wine to aerate and give enough space for the more subtle and nuanced aroma to gather and strengthen in the glass before rising to the nose. You also want a thin lip so that the wine will flow over the whole tongue.
A little tip, if you’re looking for a versatile glass that may not be specifically for pinot noir but will handle one well, then any burgundy glass should do just fine.
OUR FAVORITE GLASSES FOR PINOT NOIR!
Best Overall
This is the Zalto Denk’Art Burgundy Glass and is, without a doubt, the best wine glass you can use to truly experience all of the nuances and complexity of your favorite Pinot Noir.
Zalto has gained a cult-like following over the years, and that is because they make premium, high-quality glasses that outperform the competition.
This glass is another example of their dedication to perfection, but with that, you can expect a large price tag. This wine glass has a large bowl that allows the wine to aerate and leaves enough space for the bouquet to fully develop within the glass.
The glass narrows at the top to a razor-thin lip that feels delicate on the lips, never interfering with the taste but allowing the wine to pour over the entire tongue.
Best Stemless
Our favorite stemless pick is the Riedel New World Pinot Noir Glass. This glass comes from Riedel’s mission to create the perfect wine glass for every grape varietal. The goal is to find the unique shape that will bring out every individual grape’s unique aspects.
This is the glass they built to work with a pinot noir, and although this particular glass is stemless, you also have the option to get it with a stem. It is the same bowl and rim but blown with a stem for those who prefer that style.
The shape was designed to balance the high acidity, deemphasize the alcohol, and bring forward the sweet fruity flavors. The bowl is wide, which gives space for the pinot noir to aerate and for the bouqet to collect and strengthen.
The rim is flared to reduce the perception of alcohol and create a “sweet spot” in the center that holds the fruity bouquet. With this design, Riedel created a glass that is truly exceptional to drink from.
Best for Everyday Use
The Schott Zwiesel Pure Pinot Noir Glass is the best of both worlds, combining elegance and durability. This is an elegant wine glass designed to stimulate all of your senses.
It has a beautiful shape blown thin from ultra-clear crystal, but it is also functional, bringing out the best aspects of every pinot noir it holds. It has the same optimal shape as the other glasses, muddling the acidity and bringing forward the fruity aromas and flavors.
Where this glass really differentiates itself is in the materials used to make it. Schott Zwiesel makes these glasses from his patented Tritan Crystal. This is a special type of crystal that substitutes traditional lead for titanium and zirconium oxide.
This produces a glass with the same brilliance and clarity as traditional crystal but with almost twice the breaking strength. That what makes this glass durable and great for everyday use! It can withstand spills and small drops and go through daily cleanings in the dishwasher without fear of clouding or etching.
Most Unique
The Riedel Winewings Pinot Noir is a brand new glass designed in 2020. With this glass, they set aside visual appearances and went straight to work on creating a true tasting glass.
While most pinot noir glasses are built to reduce acidity and bring forward the fruit flavors associated with a Pinot, this glass also wanted to emphasize the wine’s minerality, bringing a unique but enjoyable new twist.
These glasses are part of the Winewings collection; the large flat bottom of the glass is said to resemble the broad wing of a plane with included winglets. What this flat bottom does for the wine is increase surface area, increasing evaporation, and enabling greater intensity of aroma.
Best Set of Budget Glasses
The Spiegelau Burgundy Wine Glasses are an amazing budget-friendly set of wine glasses that pair perfectly with a pinot noir. The Spiegelau brand is a high-end glass that many upscale restaurants use because they are beautiful thin crystal while remaining durable enough to withstand restaurant use.
Spiegelau does such a high volume of production that they can make these glasses in super affordable sets. They feature a thin, delicate stem a wide bowl that narrows as it nears the rim in a very modern design and sports an extra thin lip.
They will truthfully hold any red well, but they excel when it comes to the pinot noir, and they provide an excellent upscale glass for any party.
