For what you said you’ll mainly be using them for, I would not go with the Burgundy. Universal has done better in my comparisons. I don’t have the Bordeaux stem, so I’ll defer to others on that.
+1. Excellent glass. The machined glass they offer is a knock out deal (half the price and 95% of the “features” of the hand blown). I have 6 of each and enjoy everything from Champagne to Calvados in the things.
At $29 it’s a hard deal to pass up; how is the weight of the glass? I’d purchase some but already have way too many stems to include Zalto Universals & Burg stems. I really like the universals so I use them for champagne, Chablis, Bdx and cabs. I like the Burgs as well but only use them for, well…burgs. The size of the glass doesn’t bother me anymore as the bowl accentuates what the wine offers.
I just weighed both of mine - the machined Gabriel are 140g and the hand blown Gabriel are 98g.
Steen Ohman has done a few excellent write ups of his trials of various glasses (generally an excellent blog) and he stated, “The Zalto’s weigh in at around 140g while the Riedels weigh a whopping 215g – thats a huge difference.”. Riedel vs Zalto .... Burgundy stemware battle
98g! I might have to purchase one. One reason the Universal appeals to me is the feather weight of the glass, it is so damn light that you feel it’s going to break when you swirl the wine. But, these are very sturdy and dishwasher safe. Thanks for posting that info.
I gave my hand blown version a pretty good whack last night while washing. Nothing. They swear (and encourage) the glasses should be run through the dishwasher. I have tried and succeeded. I reverted to hand washing because I don’t like the smell of the detergent.
Long story short I have treated the Gabriel glasses the same way I treated my old Riedel glasses. I have 2/6 Riedels remaining and 12 / 12 Gabriel’s.
The hand blown glasses do almost feel like you are holding “nothing”. They are so friggin’ light.
It’s interesting that Zalto always came up immediately. Even though I own (nearly) the whole range of Zaltos I wouldn’t recommend these wholehearted. Tow major issues with the Zaltos:
because of the very thin glass they are WAY too top-heavy. They are definitive not well balanced when filled. It’s absolutely not an issue at tastings where you only have a small amount of wine in it but if you fill it with wine at dinner…
because of the very thin glass white wine is warming up way faster than in any other glass I own
So, don’t get me wrong…I do like the Zalto glasses but I would strongly recommend to check these points before buying blind. And you should try both -the machined and hand blown- Gabriel Glasses side by side
Alan you do not want to drink zin and syrah out of zalto burgs. The glass does its job too well. Your nose hairs will be singed. I prefer the bordeaux glass for cab, syrah and zin. I use the universal for whites and burg for pinot.
Jens, I never pour myself more than 3 oz or so at a time, even at dinner which solves both of your problems with the Zaltos. I think Id have a problem with a full glass of wine. My hand automatically starts swirling when it holds a wine glass.
Humberto, even with 3oz: if you start tilting the glass towards drinking position there is a specific point where you (at least I) feel that the glass is not well balanced because the bottom of the glass is too light compared to the head…but maybe that just my opinion.
I have never experienced any of the Zalto’s, but I do have two of the hand-blown Gabriel Glas and they are outstanding (I’ve actually got 4 more on the way). I’ve ran mine through the dishwasher several times with no issue, I just prefer to hand wash them.
There are two points with the Gabriel. Yes, they really are that light, which is a good thing if you’re into that, until you’re outside on a breezy spring afternoon and a gust blows your almost empty glass over. I learned that fact one afternoon when I watched a gust of wind lift the glass up on one side of the base. Thankfully it wasn’t enough to turn it all the way over, so now I am just more mindful of where I leave it on windy days.
Also, due to the shape/design/size of the glass, I find myself short pouring more which causes me to drink a bottle slower and not go through as much wine, probably not a bad thing.
In addition to my prior comment I’d like to mention that I really don’t get the sense of making wine glasses lighter and lighter. Beside the fact that they are loosing their balance with wine filled I personally prefer a more solid glass as it simply feels better and feels more quality.
This is why I prefer the machined Gabriel glass over the hand blown (I do have both).
Can someone enlighten me and tell me what’s the idea of having a wine glass as light as possible? Simply don’t get it…
As a side note, these thin glasses also sound dull when you clink glasses…not that this is too important but one more point on my negative list for thin glasses
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