A subtle learning curve

Father’s Day gift idea No. 1: The trend toward wine glasses is like most things in the 21st century -- overly complicated. The Alberto’s Vineyard universal wine glass by Alessi represents a complete departure. With half the rim sloping inward to trap and concentrate the aroma, and the other half opening outward to liberate the fragrance and oxygenate the wine, the crystalline glass can be used for drinking white or red wines. “By rotating the glass and using the different tasting zones, the process of ‘creating the wine’ is, in poetic terms, still under way,” says Harald Grundl, head product designer for the Austrian design group EOOS. “We want people to experience joy with the glass, instead of wishing to teach them something.” Amen. $97 per pair at Alessi in Los Angeles, (310) 276-7096, www.alessi-shop.com.

-- Barbara Thornburg