Found at market, we are intoxicated with the storied charms of this gracefully executed Vintage Spanish Sterling Silver Tastevin. Although the design may look familiar (perhaps you’ve seen a utilitarian tastevin hanging from a chain around the neck of a sommelier at a fancy restaurant or in a photograph), the lavish detailing of this tastevin is romantically unfamiliar. 

Exactingly crafted in Spain and bearing the Spanish five-point star sterling hallmark, the traditional aerating bumps and ridges found on a classic tastevin (which aid the taster in assessing the maturity, quality and taste of a wine) have been replaced with romantic swirls that seem to move in the light. Shaped to assist the movement and aeration of the wine before tasting, this beautifully sculptural cup is a true work of art. The perfect gift for a wine lover, it is sure to inspire conversation at your next wine tasting soiree.

Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale. 4″D x 1.25″H.

Learn More About The Tastevin

The Tastevin is one of the classic tools of the sommelier’s profession. This trusted companion of a thousand tastings appeared almost two centuries ago in the country that knows a thing or two about wine: France. The accurate and elegant design is not an end in itself but has a very specific function.

The word “tastevin” or “taste vin” comes from French and is best translated as “tasting cup”.  A tastevin cup is a small, shallow silver or pewter cup with a shiny surface. It is traditionally used by wine professionals, like sommeliers, to taste and evaluate wine, but was originally developed for wine merchants and producers to quickly determine the quality of their wines – even in the dim light of a wine cave or below deck in a ship. Tasters can look at the color and clarity of the wine through the cup’s shiny surface, and the shape and size of the cup make it easy to swirl the wine to release its flavors and scent.

Its use was quite widespread between the 19th and 20th centuries and today it is considered the emblem of the figure of the sommelier who, with the tastevin around his or her neck, inspires professionalism in the wine-tasting field.

The specific shape of the tastevin is designed to allow a trained sommelier a better visual analysis of the wine. In the center there is a large bubble whose cusp marks the quantity of wine that must never exceed a certain level.

Around 14 small bubbles or bumps are arranged in a crown that have the purpose of promoting oxygenation of the wine. On the right there are 8 concave pearls that are used for the visual analysis of red wines. While on the left, the 17 ribs serve to highlight the nuances of white wines.

The use of the tastevin follows a particular ritual in order to give the right visual evaluation to the wines with the ritual being different for red or white wine. For the analysis of white wine, the tastevin is held with the left hand while the wine is poured with the right hand, resulting in a clockwise swirl of the wine. For the red, however, the tastevin is held with the right hand, the wine is poured with the left and the cup is swirled in a counter-clockwise direction.

While the tastevin may not be strictly necessary today, it remains a valuable tool for many sommeliers in the hospitality industry. Its unique features and rich history make it a standout tool in the sommelier’s “tool kit.”