5 minute read
THE SCIENCE OF SPIRITS
Drinking vessels devised by humans are many thousands of years old, fashioned of cupped hands, folded leaves, coconut shells, animal skulls, seashells, bamboo, carved wood, gourds, animal horns, bark and pitch, or any number of common, natural materials that could hold liquid. There are many online sources regarding the development and evolution of drinking vessels. Still, glass is the material most commonly used today, and we believe there is a not-so-apparent reason that stems became popular in wine and spirits glasses.
Man-made glass was first created in Syria, Mesopotamia, and/or Egypt, probably around 3600 years BCE, in the form of beads fashioned from sodium carbonate. Glassmaking technology flourished in the bronze age (3300-1200 BCE), and the popular manufacturing method was wrapping a molten, ductile cord of glass around a preformed sand shape. Later, the preferred shape was ground from a cold hunk or glob of glass into its desired shape. Manufacturing techniques and formulas for glass were guarded secrets of the ancients, with Syria and Cyprus the origin of colorless glass around the 9th century BCE. Later civilizations saw the drinking vessel as a seriously expressive art form combined with a useful purpose, and style and decoration became an important part of glass manufacturing. Early Egyptians discovered that quartz could be crushed into a fine powder, mixed with plant ash, and cast into ingots for future melting and shaping by experienced artisans.
The Greeks, however, relied on pottery as their drinking vessel material of choice, and these first pieces were shaped as a very wide, shallow bowl with a pedestal base to keep from spilling the contents. Many shape-names such as Komast, Krater, and Siana “cups” exhibited bases, the first appearance of that appendage later called a stem.
Human Skull Cup Greek Krater
Greek Wine Cup
In the 13th century AD, Venice, particularly the island of Murano, became the center for fine glassware for the royal houses of Europe. Natural crystal pebbles were gathered from two rivers, the Ticino and Adige, and examined for high clarity, vein-free, and ability to “spark” when struck. This glass required higher melting temperatures and had to be formed quickly to its desired shape. Peaking in the 15th and 16th centuries, Murano cristallo artisans lengthened pedestals to allow a grip of at least a thumb and two fingers and maybe a few bumps or ribs to improve grip resembling the stemmed glassware in use today. Very expensive and costprohibitive to the masses, Murano glass was the choice of royal tables throughout Europe and Russia.
Imagine large candle-lit halls with long dining room tables able to sit 60-plus guests for dinner. Lighting was by candle, and in addition to large overhead chandeliers, huge candelabras were placed at specific intervals all along the table, as well as mirrors and candle sconces on the walls to brighten the room. Soon it became apparent that fine wines and spirits could further enhance ambiance if stems were taller to catch more candlelight. At the same time, with a little care in handling, greasy fingerprints could be confined to the stem, contributing to the beauty of a filled glass. Murano glass sparkles with tiny rainbows at the edge of each facet when cut and highly polished, as it has a very high index of refraction, bending light rays like a prism to create tiny rainbows and sparkling stars. Stemmed Murano glassware was the sign of a very rich household, as successful businessmen and government officials purchased Murano glass to emulate the royals.
Meanwhile, back in merry Olde England, George Ravenscroft (1632-1683), who built a trade in Venetian glass, started his own glass factory using the little-used Italian technique of adding lead oxide to glass and resolving its crinkling effect. Patented by King Charles in 1674, leaded crystal allowed lower glass melting temperatures using local coal instead of costly, imported European hard coal. Also, leaded crystal has the high refractive index necessary to create prismatic rainbows, and the working time is greatly increased, allowing intricate shaping, design, decoration, and of course, longer, more ornate stems. Leaded crystal was extremely affordable, with little difference in appearance from Venetian glass (to those not so close to the industry). The middle and business classes were added as buyers of affordable leaded crystal, and George Ravenscroft is credited as the inventor of Georgian glass, which refers to the beautiful, long-stemmed, ornately decorated glass of the late 17th century to the end of the 18th century,
Persian Glass Murano Cristallo
Ravenscroft 1676
named for Kings George I, II, and III. Today, in modern lighting conditions, stems still exude a certain elegance and conveniently still keep fingerprint smears from the bowl, preserving the pristine appearance of a fine vintage claret in a beautiful vessel at the evening gala. Leaded glass popularity didn’t last, and many countries have banned its use (including the United States) due to lead poisoning, as lead leaches out of decanters and glassware to find its way into the body causing all sorts of ailments. However, German and eastern European glass manufacturers (Riedel, Spiegelau, SchottZweissel, Stolzle, Rona, and many others) have distinguished themselves with strengthening additives, unique stem-pulling techniques, and other improvements to ensure the tradition of the stem continues. Will it ever die? Certainly not in the near future.
In summary, the discoveries of leaded crystal made the coveted stemmed designs preferred by royalty and the wealthy a common, affordable style of glassware for all, cementing the stem as a preferred style among today’s wine and spirits drinkers. At Arsilica, Inc., home of the NEAT glass, we love and prioritize science, invention, art, and history in that order and strive to understand and relate the truths in all. In science, form follows function, invention springs from needs, art is the materialization of the creative mind, and unfortunately, history is usually written by the winners.
NEAT Glass
George F Manska
Chief of Research and Development, Arsilica, Inc., engineer, inventor of the NEAT glass, and sensory science researcher.
Mission: Replace misinformation with scientific truth through consumer education.
Contact Information: Phone: 702.332.7305 Email: george@arsilica.com Business mailing address: 452 Silverado Ranch Blvd, Ste #222, Las Vegas, NV, 89183.
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Anna Scott
Owner/Founder Anna’s Kitchen Shrub annaskitchenshrub.com
