Tastevin Leon Violland Silver plated

This gorgeous Tastevin is silver plated and nicely engraved on the handle with the initials L V, standing for Leon Violland, Burgundy/Bourgogne. Leon Violland is a winegrower based in France in the Bourgogne / Burgundy region. The house was founded in 1844 by Léon Louis-Violland making this wine house one of the oldest in Burgundy. Size of this Tastevin is dia 7.4cm, width with handle is 10.3cm x h 2.4cm. Weight is 49 grms. Postage from France included.

What is a Tastevin?
Tastevins are shallow, often dimpled, cups used for tasting by professionals. These flat bottomed shallow cups, which are often worn on a ribbon around the neck, originated in Burgundy where professional wine tasters came to the general agreement that it was easier to judge the color of a red wine when it was poured in a shallow layer over the brightly reflecting silver rather than in a glass where it sat in a greater mass. So popular were such implements during the 17th and 18th centuries that even today they remain the acknowledged ceremonial symbol of Burgundy.