Where you must pay $12 just to have a vessel from which to enjoy your wine

 

A key element to enjoying fine wines is using quality stemware.

I know several wine lovers who take their own wine glasses to restaurants to ensure they get maximum pleasure from expensive bottles. Sometimes they will take glasses specific to the variety they will be drinking.

But if you are attending the Clare Valley Gourmet Week then you'll do as you are told.

You will buy a polymer wine tumbler made in the US for $12 and use it. Or else. That $12 is on top of your entry fee, of course.  

Want to bring the wine glass you purchased at last year's event? Sorry. No go. Off with your head.

 
The organisers of Australia's longest-running wine and food festival - celebrating 40 years - this week proudly announced "your passport to the Festival - 2024 Official Gourmet Glassware".

They added: "We're excited to announce our brand-new GoVino Gourmet Glasses, which are durable, shatterproof, eco-friendly, and dishwasher safe! These are available to purchase for $12 at all festival venues (marked on the program) and will be used to serve your wine. Pick up at your first stop and enjoy at events throughout the week.

"Please be aware that due to this exciting change, last year's glasses will not be accepted at any venue."

That's telling them. Hospitality at its finest.

You WILL use an imported glass that is not made from glass. You WILL pay $12 for it even though it can be purchased on line and in retail outlets for far less. You WILL enjoy drinking from a tumbler rather than stemware.

I've asked the organisers for their comments/Whether this is a commercially driven decision or not. I'll let you know. 

# Two very high profile Clare Valley producers have made contact to say they will be ignoring the directive and using their own high-quality stemware for their tastings during the event. “A quality focus is important”. 

Serious polish: How to keep your wine glasses in top shape

Wine writer and sparkling wine expert Tyson Stelzer could not find the perfect polishing cloth to keep his wine glasses in top condition. So he created one. 

"A decent glass is the most important thing you need to make the most of every bottle, and a great polishing cloth is the best way to keep your glass in top form," Stelzer said. 

"I own more than 1000 wine glasses and I wash and polish them by hand. 

"I’ve been searching for the ideal polishing cloth for years and I’ve never found it. Everything I tried was too large or too small, not sufficiently absorbent, or left smears or lint.

"Over the past two years, I've had some 50 prototypes manufactured and I put them all to the test on hundreds of glasses (lockdown entertainment!). There was one winner and I’ve used nothing else since.

"It’s a super-fine microfibre cloth with awesome absorbency. Dimensions 70cmx50cm – not so large that you can’t get it inside the glass, and not so small that you can’t cradle the glass with it as you polish the inside. 

Pre-orders are now open, for shipping in late March.

I haven't tried the cloth yet - and it isn't cheap ($29.95). That's about the cost of a good bottle of wine, which would seem to make it a worthwhile investment. 

https://www.tysonstelzer.com/online-store/other/tyson-stelzers-glass-polishing-cloth/