The 10th-generation head of Austrian glassware firm Riedel, which was established in 1756, 56-year-old Georg Riedel travels four months a year and always carries a specially made leather attache case containing four wine glasses. 'I wouldn't like to find myself with a good wine without the right instrument to fully savour it,' he says. Q: What's the relationship between a fine wine glass and fine wine? A: Everything that comes to our senses gives us different perceptions. A wine glass can't alter the taste of a fine wine, but it can change our perception of it remarkably. Different shapes of glasses produce different perceptions, and such perceptions have been confirmed by wine experts who have carried out numerous tests on wine glasses of various shapes. Q: So, the type and shape of a wine glass makes a difference to the experience of drinking wine? A: I would say that a fine wine glass works like a loudspeaker. It translates the message in a bottle of wine and helps to bring out the beauty of the wine. Q: You consider yourself a wine fanatic. What do Riedel glasses mean to you when it comes to wine tasting? A: I see these glasses as magic. They're extremely reliable in the sense that they always function well. It's like a [Boeing] 747 that has an air-cushion lifting system to allow it to go smoothly on the runway. It never lets you down.