Eisch Breathable Glass
In order for most wines to be fully enjoyed, they must be in contact with the atmosphere outside their
bottle. The Eisch Superior Breathable Glass stemware are crafted of lead-free crystal and undergo a
unique oxygenization treatment that strongly accelerates the reaction of the wine with atmospheric
oxygen. In only two to four minutes - instead of one to two hours spent in a decanter - the glasses
allow the individual aroma and bouquet of your vintage to fully develop.
Glass Accessories
Eisch Breathable Glass Gift Tube
The glasses come normally packaged in plain packaging for six. But the heavy
cardboard Eisch Breathable Glass Gift Tube may provide more
durable/decorative packaging for individual glass gift giving.
Eisch Breathable Glass FAQ's
Is the decanting carafe a thing of the past now?
No!
Enjoying wine means much more than only drinking enjoying wine
involves social-cultural demands. It is the pleasant hours of the day
that are accompanied by a glass of wine: Hours of relaxation, of
"slowing down", of cooking or having dinner together with friends all
this takes place without any need to hurry, and everyone has all the
time to decant the wine in the crystal carafe it is already the
preparation of the wine that is celebrated here.
Of course it has no negative effect at all if an already perfectly
prepared wine is drunk from a Breathable Glass.
And last but not least a crystal decanter meets aesthetic
demands: It definitely makes the table more beautiful, and this alone is
why it is preferable to the simple wine bottle. For all people today
suffering from a lack of time, this is another possibility: Open the
wine bottle immediately serve the wine in a decanting carafe and
optimally enjoy the wine in a Breathable Glass. This will satisfy both
the aesthete and the wine connoisseur!
Does the BREATHABLE GLASS only improve wine, or also other
drinks?
With the Breathable Glass a distinct improvement can be achieved with
most wines, but it depends on each individual case how h4 this
improving effect will be. Decanting also does not lead to an improvement
in every case! The Breathable Glass, however, will not turn a bad wine
into a good one! On the contrary, care must be taken with a bad wine,
because the Breathable Glass is incorruptible! Any possibly existing
flaws such as a slight taste of cork will be mercilessly punished by the
Breathable Glass, because it will also intensify these aromas.
In addition to wine, Breathable Glasses can also lead to improvements
with spirits, fruit juices, and mineral water.
Does Breathable Glass change the chemistry of wine?
There is no change at all in the wine, for example ionization or a
change of the pH-value. Only the natural decanting process is
accelerated.
How are BREATHABLE GLASSES identified?
Every Breathable Glass has this label on the goblet:
and this is the really decisive feature the following sandblasting mark at the bottom:
Does Breathable Glass require special care?
The Breathable Glass permanently keeps its properties. It can be treated
just like any other high-quality crystal glass and does not require any
special care.
Development and Properties of Breathable Glass
The idea for BREATHABLE GLASS
For years and decades, wine glass research primarily has concentrated on
finding the goblet shape that optimally brings out a specific wine to
advantage, and this has brought about considerable success, providing
today's wine connoisseur with a great variety of different goblet shapes
and sizes for enjoying exquisite wines.
This approach, however, increasingly reaches its limits today, because a
continuing differentiation of glasses not only with respect to the type
of wine, but also to growing region and vintage, can be realized
technically, but hardly can be put into practice by the individual
consumer. For approximately 5 years Eisch has researched with the
question of how to impart an additional dimension to an optimally shaped
wine glass for the benefit of wine enjoyment.
The manufacturing technology of BREATHABLE GLASS
The result of this research led to a new revolution in the wine glass
technology with a new generation of goblets, the "Breathable Glass"
i.e. glasses that "breathe". These glasses are made from a special raw
material mixture, the so-called batch, in lead-free crystal quality.
After the actual manufacturing process, the glasses undergo a
proprietary oxygenization treatment, which gives the Breathable Glass
its unique properties.
The properties of BREATHABLE GLASS
Many wines need to be in contact with atmospheric oxygen in order to
optimally develop their bouquet and aromas, which is why the wine
usually is opened 1-2 hours before drinking, and is decanted in a
special carafe. Many a time, however, these 1-2 hours are not available,
because who does always know whether he wants to drink a glass of wine
in 2 hours, and if so, which one? In a restaurant, the ordered wine has
to be served within only a few minutes, and also at home the small glass
of wine cannot necessarily be planned hours in advance.
This is exactly where the Breathable Glass comes into play; you only
need 2 to 4 minutes in a Breathable Glass to develop the bouquet and
aromas of the wine. Time-consuming decanting is no longer necessary, in
a Breathable Glass the wine reaches its optimum shortly after it is
poured. The Breathable Glass has a completely natural effect it simply
accelerates the reaction of the wine with the atmospheric oxygen that
takes place anyway. The original character of the wine and its structure
are maintained, while the wine opens up and gains taste and volume.
More about Breathable Glasses
Breathable Glass put to the test
Tim Pawsey
Special To North Shore News
Sunday, November 18, 2007
The Hired Belly is occasionally on the receiving end of some weird and wonderful things.
Even so, he sat up and took extra notice at the arrival of the latest invention: the breathable wine glass,
which claims to "open" up or aerate the wine in a matter of minutes, compared to much longer than
normally required through decanting or just letting the wine sit in the glass. It's now common knowledge
when it comes to wine tasting that using the right shape of glass can make all the difference.
Much of the credit must go to 11th-generation Austrian glassmaker Riedel, whose now celebrated taste
tests comparing wine in "conventional" glasses with their own beautifully crafted varietal specific glasses
have won converts the world over.
Riedel has staked its reputation on the effect the very specific shape of the glass can have on the wine,
from the way the bowl enhances the aroma, to the pitch or angle at which the stream of liquid hits the
palate (as well as on its superlative crystal). But now along comes German glass maker, Eisch, whose
company dates from 1946. Over the years we've seen all kinds of gizmos that claim to make wine more
approachable through vaunted science, including one system that sold a special spigott, which supposedly
ionized the molecules to make the wine taste more aged and softer. We weren't convinced.
No surprise, then, that we approached the newly arrived Eisch trademarked Breathable Glass with at least
a little skepticism, as we prepared to blind taste a number of wines to see how they'd evolve when
poured side by side in the Breathable and conventional glass (made also by Eisch) of almost precisely the
same shape and size.
The degree to which wines reacted varied. But, interestingly enough, there was almost always a
discernible difference. Younger, more tannic reds especially did open up more noticeably after four
minutes in the Breathable Glass, and tended to show more rounded, less aggressive qualities on the
palate. Even as time went on, the difference remained discernible. Also, some higher acid whites came
across as fuller and more generous in style.
Perhaps for obvious reasons, Eisch doesn't reveal the secret behind its lead-free crystal Breathable Glass.
And Riedel? Not impressed.
The company just launched a lawsuit against Eisch's use of the term "Breathable," claiming it turned
down the chance to buy the technology but was unimpressed with controlled tests. Although Eisch insists
there's no physical difference between the two glasses, wine guru Robert Parker (who had conducted his
own evaluation) has mused that the Breathable Glass might be made of more porous crystal, with tiny air
holes that accelerate the aeration.
Our tests, though hardly scientific, were interesting. While the wines we played with were clean and well
made, not all necessarily displayed the same characteristics in rapid transition. We also happen to like a
fair degree of tannin and acidity in our reds, and acidity in whites, especially with food. In at least one
instance, where the "breathable" red obviously gained in approachability and emphasized its sweeter
berry fruit, it seemed to fade in complexity.
It also pays to remember that modern winemaking already uses many techniques (including microoxygenation)
to make wines more approachable right out of the bottle.
Our final taste test we kept for a bottle of 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau, a wine, if any, that could surely
benefit from even a modicum of change. No such luck. Then again, maybe we should have tried the
purpose-made Riedel Beaujolais Nouveau 4400/15. Maybe not.
The verdict? Hey, if you're into wine, you should give the Breathable Glass a whirl, or rather not. Just let
the glasses sit there and do their thing. Quite likely you too will be surprised.
Oh, and we forgot to mention that the slightly more solid Eisch glasses are also beautifully made, a little
less pricey than their Riedel equivalent, and, even more beautifully, dishwasher safe.
