Grassl Glass
Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 6:26 pm
So I finally got around to using these and did a comparison with Zaltos...
Grassl Liberte....In the hand, this feels very light, thin but comparable to thicker Zaltos..So I think on average, a Zalto Universal feels slightly thinner in the stem but not by much. The Grassl Liberte seems a little shorter (it is) but feels like it has better balance. Zaltos always feel slightly off balance as in head heavy and this is more noticeable with a greater volume of liquid. I weighed it expecting it to be around 95-105g. 84g..wtf. GGGs are 85-90, these can't be lighter but they are. I'm going to guess they average 85-90. As a point of reference Zalto universals are usually 105-115g. The Grassl Liberte is definitely light, it doesn't feel that much lighter than a Universal but this may have something to do with why it feels a bit more balanced.
Grassl Cru. Like the Liberte, the balance is really good. The bottom of the stem is a bit big (as exactly as big as the Zalto Universal) but because the bowel is smaller, (the diameter of the bowel and bottom of the stem are roughly the same) it looks a bit awkward but it feels really good to use. This feels more the size of a Zalto Bordeaux. Comes in at 112g (WTF, it is lighter than the thicker Universals and only slightly more than the thinner ones) and probably averages 110-115. As a point of reference..Zalto Bordeaux is 120-125g and Zalto Burgs are 130-135+g.
Nose: On the nose, the Liberte had a similar profile to the Zalto Universal...It might even accentuate alcohol even slightly more than the Universal which also means it will generally bring out more on most wines but so far they're very close. Cru vs. Zalto Bordeaux vs. Zalto Burgundy. Very similar nose profile to the Zalto Burgundy...They were practically identical. Maybe the Zalto Burg so far has brought out a touch more but it really hard to say. Zalto Bordeaux is a completely different profile. It has a MUCH larger opening and feels like I can fit my face in it compared to these two glasses which should be the case, it is more for bigger reds...you're going to want that added air or all of those wines will have way too much alcohol on the nose.
Drinking:
The Liberte was really enjoyable to handle...The thing I don't like about the Zalto Universal is that it sucks swirling wine in it. For most wine events, it is perfect because you're really not getting more than 60mls or so..and for that, Universals are perfect. But a full glass of wine and the balance is off...the gentler slope of the Liberte made swirling, regardless of volume, so much easier. Thickness of the rim...pretty similar. I thought the Liberte might be ever so slightly thicker but in trying it out in different ways, I didn't really notice a difference..not enough to impact my enjoyment. The one thing that wasn't as good is the Liberte opening is smaller...quite a bit so. This just meant that it had a different feel when tasting because the rim was in a different position relatively to most other glasses. Overall they're pretty neck and neck for me.
The Cru feels very nice for a bigger glass. I love Zalto Burgs but I think everyone that uses them knows they're a pain to transport. They can be quite awkward with low amounts of wine. They perform fantastically well but all of the downsides means unless it is a really special event, the Universals were always good enough....Now comes in these Grassl Crus. Better balance and they're performing up there with the Zalto Burg...They're less awkward with lower amounts of wine..and what I mean by that is, you have to tip a Zalto Burg fairly severely to get all of the wine out of the glass, which maybe isn't an issue but the Cru doesn't suffer from that. I don't think they look as cool but their size makes them significantly easier to transport. I put these neck and neck performance wise....maybe the Zalto Burg looks a bit cooler but performance wise they're basically the same, with the Cru being easier to drink from and being easier to transport.
Conclusion: I definitely want more time w/ the two glasses to try other types of wines and to try them in an offline environment...and I liked the Cru so much I'm actually considering whether that'll just be my Universal. It is light enough and performs well enough...plus it comes in a cylinder and they're releasing a carrying case for it. They definitely feel less fragile than Zaltos while still maintaining that ultra light feel and with better balance. My understanding is they've designed the stem to have fewer issues than Zaltos (if you're going to break Zaltos, it will almost always be at the stem). A worthy competitor to Zaltos...Not really much between them to be honest, the preferences are going to be very minor either way. I don't think anyone is missing out on anything if you already have one or the other.
Grassl Liberte....In the hand, this feels very light, thin but comparable to thicker Zaltos..So I think on average, a Zalto Universal feels slightly thinner in the stem but not by much. The Grassl Liberte seems a little shorter (it is) but feels like it has better balance. Zaltos always feel slightly off balance as in head heavy and this is more noticeable with a greater volume of liquid. I weighed it expecting it to be around 95-105g. 84g..wtf. GGGs are 85-90, these can't be lighter but they are. I'm going to guess they average 85-90. As a point of reference Zalto universals are usually 105-115g. The Grassl Liberte is definitely light, it doesn't feel that much lighter than a Universal but this may have something to do with why it feels a bit more balanced.
Grassl Cru. Like the Liberte, the balance is really good. The bottom of the stem is a bit big (as exactly as big as the Zalto Universal) but because the bowel is smaller, (the diameter of the bowel and bottom of the stem are roughly the same) it looks a bit awkward but it feels really good to use. This feels more the size of a Zalto Bordeaux. Comes in at 112g (WTF, it is lighter than the thicker Universals and only slightly more than the thinner ones) and probably averages 110-115. As a point of reference..Zalto Bordeaux is 120-125g and Zalto Burgs are 130-135+g.
Nose: On the nose, the Liberte had a similar profile to the Zalto Universal...It might even accentuate alcohol even slightly more than the Universal which also means it will generally bring out more on most wines but so far they're very close. Cru vs. Zalto Bordeaux vs. Zalto Burgundy. Very similar nose profile to the Zalto Burgundy...They were practically identical. Maybe the Zalto Burg so far has brought out a touch more but it really hard to say. Zalto Bordeaux is a completely different profile. It has a MUCH larger opening and feels like I can fit my face in it compared to these two glasses which should be the case, it is more for bigger reds...you're going to want that added air or all of those wines will have way too much alcohol on the nose.
Drinking:
The Liberte was really enjoyable to handle...The thing I don't like about the Zalto Universal is that it sucks swirling wine in it. For most wine events, it is perfect because you're really not getting more than 60mls or so..and for that, Universals are perfect. But a full glass of wine and the balance is off...the gentler slope of the Liberte made swirling, regardless of volume, so much easier. Thickness of the rim...pretty similar. I thought the Liberte might be ever so slightly thicker but in trying it out in different ways, I didn't really notice a difference..not enough to impact my enjoyment. The one thing that wasn't as good is the Liberte opening is smaller...quite a bit so. This just meant that it had a different feel when tasting because the rim was in a different position relatively to most other glasses. Overall they're pretty neck and neck for me.
The Cru feels very nice for a bigger glass. I love Zalto Burgs but I think everyone that uses them knows they're a pain to transport. They can be quite awkward with low amounts of wine. They perform fantastically well but all of the downsides means unless it is a really special event, the Universals were always good enough....Now comes in these Grassl Crus. Better balance and they're performing up there with the Zalto Burg...They're less awkward with lower amounts of wine..and what I mean by that is, you have to tip a Zalto Burg fairly severely to get all of the wine out of the glass, which maybe isn't an issue but the Cru doesn't suffer from that. I don't think they look as cool but their size makes them significantly easier to transport. I put these neck and neck performance wise....maybe the Zalto Burg looks a bit cooler but performance wise they're basically the same, with the Cru being easier to drink from and being easier to transport.
Conclusion: I definitely want more time w/ the two glasses to try other types of wines and to try them in an offline environment...and I liked the Cru so much I'm actually considering whether that'll just be my Universal. It is light enough and performs well enough...plus it comes in a cylinder and they're releasing a carrying case for it. They definitely feel less fragile than Zaltos while still maintaining that ultra light feel and with better balance. My understanding is they've designed the stem to have fewer issues than Zaltos (if you're going to break Zaltos, it will almost always be at the stem). A worthy competitor to Zaltos...Not really much between them to be honest, the preferences are going to be very minor either way. I don't think anyone is missing out on anything if you already have one or the other.