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Adela & Mark Meadows

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Porky's Pick for this issue is a quartet of taste-vins.

As its name suggests, a taste-vin is used to taste wine.

The grapevine is one of the oldest plants on earth. It  appears on a figure from Mesopotamia dating from 4000BC while ancient Egyptian relics document the making of wine as early as 2300BC.

The tasting of wine is a delicate and subtle art and involves rituals that have become part of the oenological rules of the world of wine.

There are two different forms of taste-vins and they are used at different times. The first four that we present here on this page are sometimes called taste-vin coupelles.

One of the earliest images of a taste-vin coupelle in use can be seen on a wall fresco among the ruins of Pompeii. Essentially, it is a small flattened cup used to taste wine in small sips. Over the centuries, taste-vin coupelles have been made in several different materials including ceramic, glass, silver, and pewter.

The ceramic versions are generally less ornate than the metal taste-vins...the latter can be designated as being for a particular type of wine depending upon its form. The embossed round circles called cupules are intended to view the clarity of red wines, while other  taste-vins are accented with wave-like lines known as godrons...they are used to observe the clarity of white wines.

The base of the taste-vins used in the Bordeaux region have a distinctive raised dome shape...still another form of taste-vin is used for tasting the ciders of Normandy.

The four taste-vins we present on this page are all of French origin and are made of faïence or tin-glazed earthenware, pewter, or silver.

First the tin-glazed earthenware version:

I haven't found an example of a taste-vin in any of the old Quimper standard production catalogs, but I have seen later models...post WWII pieces made as a specially commissioned item for a particular vintner. This example is earlier...marked Henriot Quimper France 147, it dates from the 1920s.

In a variation of the classic croissillé pattern that has come to be known as "tennis", it has the early raised reds and measures just shy of 4 inches across the bowl and 4. 6875 inches across including the handle.

There are no cracks or chips to the body, however the rim is very rough and as you can see in the photographs, the glaze is completely gone in areas...if that doesn't tell you to drink in moderation...what does?!!! A depression to the rim appears to be from when the piece was originally unmolded rather than a chip.

Not a teacup missing a saucer...this was definitely used in the past as a taste-vin and does not conform to any of the documented Quimper tea or coffee cup shapes.

A must-have for the wine connoisseur!

Air France Pewter Taste-Vin


Air France had its beginning in 1933 when it was formed by the grouping together of five separate on-going firms. Since then, many a bottle of wine has been sampled by Air France passengers so that they may determine its worthiness.


This example has the Air France logo and is signed Etains du Manoir. The cuvette or base is trés bombé...meaning it is raised substantially in the center.


It features a handle with an oval thumb support known as an appui-pouce ovulaire. It has large and small embossed circles to observe the color and clarity of red wines...cupules and cupulettes...and godrons allongés...wave-like designs for observing the clarity of white wines.

this is the maker's mark on the bottom:

and this is the Air France logo on the inside:



It measures 4.375 inches across including the handle and is 1 inch high; it has minor edge dings and scratches to the base.


French 925 Silver Taste-Vin


This Bourguigon taste-vin is made of 925 silver...105 grams worth.


It measures and is stamped twice with the Minerva 1B hallmark used to represent a piece made in Paris of 925 silver from 1983 to 1992. The maker's mark features the initials MR and has also been stamped twice.

This is the interior view:

and this is the exterior view:



It has a handle known as a serpent solitaire...single snake and a cuvette à fond bombé...French for a convex interior. It has both cupules and cupulettes and its godrons allongés are obliques jouxtées or slanted and right next to each other.

It is monogramed on the outer rim with the initials AB.

These are the marks:

It measures 4.3125 inches across including the handle and is 1 inch high. It is in mint condition.

 

French 800 Silver Taste-Vin

Also from Paris, but quite a bit earlier...this  Bourguignon taste-vin features a serpent solitaire handle and has a gorgeous répoussé design of bunches of grapes accented with twisted tendrils known as rinceaux. The cupulettes indicate that it was intended for tasting red wine.

Here are the side views:



It is marked three times...one each for maker, origin, and material guarantee.

This is the origin mark which allows for dating the piece as being made between 1819 and 1838.

These are the guarantee stamp for 800 silver for objects of this size, date, and origin and the maker's mark.

The bottom is engraved JH Chauviré. Weighing 38.4375 grams, it measures 3.5625 inches across including the handle and is .6875 inches high. It is in wonderful condition for its age...minor areas of wear, light scratches, and minor bends that only serve to enhance its character and appeal!

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