A small saucer-shaped cup used by wine stewards for tasting wine.
A wine taster, the form is a small shallow bowl, usually with one handle, sometimes two.
(taht-van) shallow silver tasting cup used in Burgundy
(tahst-van) A flat, usually silver, cup that was once used to taste and evaluate wine. Since it is flat like a saucer, it is almost useless for smelling the wine. The bottom of the shiny container has a series of bumps, designed to shine light through the wine at various angles at once. In the dimly lit cellars, it was difficult to determine the clarity of the wines without this tool. Clarity is less of an issue than it used to be in wine, and glasses are much more effective, so the tastevin has mostly been relegated to novelty. The exception is Burgundy, France where it is still traditional. Beware of a wine steward wearing one of these on a chain around their neck. Chances are this person is attempting to hide their lack of knowledge behind a facade of snobbery.
If you ask to taste a wine in a restaurant, the sommelier will bring you your sample in a shallow silver or gold cup, called a tastevin.
Silver cup which is used for wine tasting, especially in Bourgogne
A tastevin is a small, very shallow silver cup or saucer traditionally used by winemakers and sommeliers when judging the maturity and taste of a wine.