The tastevin is traditionally used for wine tasting, but nowtoday it is used by sommeliers mostly as a symbol of recognition. Its use dates back to France in the 17th century and spread rapidly between the 19th and 20th centuries. In those days, the tastevin was an inseparable work tool for anyone who had to examine wines. The tastevin is easy to use. It allows for a quick evaluation of the wine color and rapid aeration.
The tastevin is basically a small bowl in silver or silver-plated metal, it has a diameter of 8cm and a depth of 2cm. In the central part there is the so-called “level bubble”, the wine poured must never exceed this level. The inner edges of the tastevin have on one side 8 concave ridges, which are used for the visual examination of red wine, and on the opposite side they have 17 ribs which are used for the visual examination of white wine. There are also 14 bubbles which have the important function of oxygenating the wine. In addition to allowing a correct visual examination, the tastevin allows the sommelier to carry out a correct olfactory and taste-olfactory examination.
As already mentioned, however, nowadays this tool has been replaced by the more practical ISO glass, the tastevin has however remained an unmistakable symbol that identifies the figure of the sommelier.