IN THE KITCHEN : A Clear Case of No Mercy

THERE WAS ONCE a time when all that was required of a glass was that it hold a reasonable amount of liquid without leaking. That, of course, was a very long time ago. Since then, glasses have acquired all sorts of admirable qualities. Some are collected for the incredible clarity that lets the light come shining through the liquid. Others, known for their tone, are assembled into glass harmonicas to make the music of the spheres. Glasses are beloved for their size and their shape, their weight and their color, their fragility or sheer indestructibility. There is, in fact, a veritable menagerie of glasses.

But never before have there been glasses quite like the ones that are known as Les Impitoyables--the merciless ones.

These are rather remarkable wineglasses. They do not make your wine more appealing, nor do they enhance your drinking pleasure. They were actually designed to do the very opposite. As wine maven Robert Parker, publisher of the Wine Advocate, says, “They show every flaw.”

And he means it as a compliment. For Les Impitoyables are serious tools of his trade; their purpose is to study the fruit of the vine, not decorate a dinner table. Individually mouth-blown in France of 27%-lead crystal, they are totally transparent. But it is their shape that is the really remarkable thing about the merciless ones, for they were designed to concentrate the aromas of the wine right under your nose. Famous sommeliers sing their praises.

Les Impitoyables are such precise instruments that there are different shapes for different wines. The dignified pyramid is for young red wines, the more-rounded tulip version for old reds. The thinnest glass is for white wines, the slightly stippled one for sparkling wines. There is also a cute little stemless glass, called the Taster, with dimples in the glass that allow you to carry it around.

If you are convinced that the wines you serve can stand up under scrutiny, these glasses are sold individually or in matched sets of six. Do not, however, try to fill them with inferior liquids; they show no mercy.

Les Impitoyables cost $48 per stem or $264 for a set of six of one shape. The Taster is $22 or $118 for a set of six. (There are also non-crystal Impitoyables at slightly lower prices.) Shipping and handling is included. Order from Cavalier Selections, P.O. Box 3576, Boulder, Colo. 80307 or telephone (303) 494-7664.