Wine glasses have certainly gotten bigger over the last few decades—you can practically pour an entire bottle of wine in plenty of bulbous Bordeaux glasses—but as of late, a handful of new stemware is looking a bit, well, lumpy. A number of new designs are quite literally throwing a kink into the Platonic ideal of a rounded bowl that elegantly slopes upward to a narrower rim.
Some manufacturers call this bulbous shape a “power box” (Stölzle Lausitz), others a kink (Josephinenhütte) and still another likens it to the shape of an airplane wing (Riedel). Wine Enthusiast is partial to referring to the shape as a cocoon glass. But whatever your metaphor of choice may be, it’s worth asking what on earth is going on at the bottom of these new wine glasses?
We talked to three manufacturers of this distinct, even divisive, glass shape as well as a trio of sommeliers to sort out what the bump just above the stem is supposed to do, how well it works and if you should consider adding this style to your home collection.
Commence the Battle of the Bulge.
When Did Cocoon Glass Trend Start?
Considering how many shapes wine glasses have taken over the centuries, that can be tough to say, precisely. But to chart the current vogue, we’ll be looking at the Cocoon series from Stölzle, the Winewings series from Riedel and the Josephine glasses Kurt Josef Zalto designed for Josephinenhütte.
In short, the trend is new. Josephinenhütte debuted their glasses in 2019, Winewings from Riedel hit the market in 2020 and the Cocoon series dropped in 2023 (if one can speak so coolly of dropping wine glasses).
In the case of Riedel’s Winewings line, the germ of the idea came from a partnership the brand formed with Beaulieu Vineyards, in 2018.
“We were tasked with designing a specialty glass for the 80th anniversary of Beaulieu Vineyard’s notable Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Riedel President and CEO, Maximilian Riedel. “Knowing that big bold Cabernets benefit from decanting, we created a glass that would do a portion of the decanting within the glass itself.”
What Does the Cocoon Shape Actually Do for Wine?
As Riedel suggests, the real point of the glass’s bottom bulge is to aerate the wine.
“The bottom part of the glass, known as the ‘Power Box,’ features a unique kink or angle,” says Leopold Grupp, CEO of Stölzle Lausitz, the German glassware maker. “This design element disrupts the traditional swirling motion of wine, causing it to clash against the steeper angle.”
According to his telling, the way the wine moves in the glass increases its surface area and allows it to release its complexity. “As the wine rolls and tumbles within the Power Box, it evolves in flavor, developing its nuances fully,” he adds.
I heard a similar story from one of the great glassware artists, Kurt Josef Zalto, creative director at Josephinenhütte, whose small line of Josephine glasses, Zalto calls his “masterpiece.”
“The design features a distinctive kink that optimally develops the aromas within the glass,” Zalto says. “The kink interrupts the wine's swirling motion, causing it to spiral back due to the funnel-shaped design in the lower dome area. As a result, the wine can develop more intensely and quickly. Additionally, the glass is exceptionally delicate and fine, giving the impression that you are cradling the wine in your hand.”
Does it Actually Work?
I spoke to a pair of sommeliers who were a bit less sanguine than the three glassware manufacturers about the bulging glasses’ ability to release flavors and aromas that you can’t access in other styles.
Independent sommelier and self-described “som-mom” Lulu Churchill sees a bit of design for design’s sake here.
“People are getting so crazy with glassware,” she told me. “Good wine shouldn’t need a lot of coddling to perform well. Just give me a thin lip and a sturdy stem and enough of a bell to swirl, and I’m solid.”
She also worried that the size and contours of the glasses would make them much harder to polish, especially at home.
“Great if there’s someone at a Michelin star restaurant who is going to do it for me,” she quipped, “but that looks like a lot of extra work for little additional benefit.”
To wit, there was only one shelf in my cupboard that could accommodate the height of the Cocoon Burgundy glass, and the Josephines come with not only a polishing cloth, but a small paintbrush you can use to dab any reprobate water droplets that remain just beyond your grasp. For some, som-moms or otherwise, the paintbrush drying technique may be too fussy a drying ritual.
Sommelier at & Sons Restaurant Hospitality and Founder of Mouton Noir Wines Andre Mack doesn’t see the kink in the Josephine glasses as a gimmick, but rather as a true innovation.
“The Josephine doesn’t look like a traditional wine glass,” he says. “Maybe it looks futuristic to some people so they think there's gotta be a gimmick. But aren’t we all just removed from the mentality of needing a specific glass for a certain wine or you’re doing it wrong? Isn’t that kind of a gimmick?”
Mack, who serves as a brand ambassador for Josephinenhütte, is especially fond of the Universal and the Red glasses, noting that at & Sons Ham Bar, they even serve sparkling wine out of the Josephine No3 red wine glass.
“That aroma kink in the design is the widest part of the glass, helps agitate when swirling and really accelerates the aeration,” he says.
Raj Vaidya, a sommelier who spent 15 years as wine director at Daniel Boulud’s restaurant group and is now director of operations for La Fete du Champagne, reaches for a Glasvin or Zalto when he wants to get the most out of a glass of wine, and is perhaps more skeptical of this current crop of bulging glasses than Mack.
“I think the shape is more about standing out on the shop shelf—which is fine,” he says.
As it is with many design objects, how well a style performs is often a matter of personal preference. The only way to find out if you like it is by trying it yourself.
More Glassware Coverage
- Is expensive glassware worth it? Wine Enthusiast investigates.
- Marshall Tilden III, the head of the Wine Enthusiast Academy, explains the difference between red and white wine glasses.
- The seemingly basic rocks glass is actually genius.
- Yes, you need a tequila glass and it isn’t a shot glass.
- How the Nick and Nora glass moved from the silver screen to your cocktail bar.
- The Glencairn is your bartender’s favorite whiskey glass. Here’s why.
In the shop
Cocoon Break-Resistant Pinot Noir Wine Glass
In Stock | $25
Published: August 12, 2024
