🍷 Tastevin
A small silver cup sommeliers use to look at wine in a dark cellar.
A tastevin is a small, flat cup, usually silver, from which sommeliers taste and examine wine. It comes from Burgundy. It is one of the symbols of the sommelier's profession and is often worn on a chain around the neck.
Its shape is suited to dark cellars. The bottom and walls have bumps and dimples that reflect candle flame and help show the colour and clarity of the wine. Silver gleams in weak light, so the wine in such a cup can be seen even by candlelight.
In the past, by candlelight in the cellar, the colour was used to judge the health of the wine. Today electric light has replaced candles, and the tastevin is more often a tradition and an ornament. Burgundian wine brotherhoods still use it as an emblem.
The tastevin is an accessory belonging to the world of wine in general. It is rarely used for drinking: the cup is small and shallow, and the aroma opens less well in it than in a glass.
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- 🍷 Sommelier, 📍 Burgundy
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- 🍷 Wine
Frequently asked questions
What is a tastevin?
A small, flat silver cup in which sommeliers examine and taste wine.
Why does a tastevin have a dimpled bottom?
The bumps reflect candle light and help show the colour and clarity of wine in a dark cellar.
Where does the tastevin come from?
From Burgundy.
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