Stemware! Seriously?

So, my stemware is from crate and barrel. Probably cost about 5-7 dollars per glass. I have white wine glasses and red wine glasses. And that is it. Two types. I also have waterford crystal red wine glasses and white wine glasses. Two types.

So what gives on stemware? Am i really missing something here? Is this reidel worth spending money on versus my crate and barrel or my waterford which i only use on very special occasions?

Do I need more than two types? Really?

Last question. Bringing stemware to a byob. Really? That is a lot of packing and dragging along with me, isnt it?

This is a polarizing topic. I have Reidel Vinums ($20-25/stem) and Schott Zwiesel Tritans ($8/stem at Winex). The Reidels seem of higher quality, but are also WAY more delicate. They’ll break if you look at them too long. More times than not, I grab the SZ. Also, not as painful when one breaks, like yesterday’s Thanksgiving dinner when my sister broke one.

I prefer Zalto’s over Reidel but that’s just me. I also use Schott Zwiesel too but it does not get used often since I prefer the lightweight feel of the Zalto glass.

At least your sister now knows what to get you for Christmas.

We have some Spieglau and Riedel, but we primarily use Schott Zwiesel tritan. Like Joe, we seem to break a lot fewer glasses than we used to – and we love the price point.

Lol, my sister knows I’m a wine geek and her usual gift is a gift card to Total Wine. I prefer she does what my wife does and call Greg at Envoyer for a bottle rec and give me that. Greg knows my tastes and last time my wife did that, I got a bottle of 01 Dujac BM. Can’t seem to find Dujac at Total Wine.

While in our visit to G. Conterno recently, they used Zalto Burgundy and no comparison for me, far superior than Reidel sommelier and I have a big Reidel guy.

I hate to admit it but I’ve also joined the Zalto bandwagon. Though for casual use the Crate and Barrel glasses are fine.

I’m off the whole Schott-Zweisel titanium crystal thing, esp. since i dropped a bag of glasses last week and the only ones that broke were the Schotts. But they are fine glasses that are more durable than Riedel.

With so much good basic glassware available now I find Riedel overpriced and overly fragile. If they would allow their restaurant line to be sold at retail that might be worth it, but I’m not into planned obsolesence when it comes to wine glasses.

Jay,
Isn’t this what makes the glass special, ie thinner the better in general ? I love the narrow opening of Zalto.

Joe - to answer your initial question - I personally think it does matter - but only you can tell. Honest suggestion, try a few of the better stems and have the same wine in them and see if you notice a difference.

In a perfect world someone would blindfold you and leave it up to you to determine if you notice a change in the nose or mouthfeel.

Different glasses do affect the aromatics of wine. But the way Riedel markets the effects of stemware as some deterministic function of varietal is silly IMO. Not all Merlots or Syrahs are stylistically identical, so why would one specific glass be ideal for a specific varietal?

Personally, I like glasses with cut rims, moderately thin glass, and a large bowl for reds, and a smaller bowl for whites. Durability is important as well. I have found that different shape glasses make a difference, but not in any predictable way other than generally a wide bowl with taper to the rim tends to allow for aeration while concentrating the aromatics.

I have Zalto Burgundy and Bordeaux glasses and LOVE them. One-piece is huge so I know the bowl won’t fly off one day. Plus they are recommended for the dishwasher. They’re light, quite sturdy, and maybe it’s a placebo effect, but I enjoy drinking wine from them more than a generic glass.

It can be a fair bit of schlepping but 100% yes. At least for an offline where you have a group and 2-4 wines per flight. Gives the restaurant a little break. Less washing & some places may actually run out of glasses.

And I am a bit geeky about having a decent glass. It kills me to drink a special wine out of a sub par glass. Would hate to bring a bunch of nice wines to a restaurant and have to drink a 20 year old Burgundy out of this

Cheers,

Jason

+1

I’ve done comparative glass tastings a number of times. It really does make a difference. But Riedel’s different-glass-for-each-wine theory is hooey.

As for sturdiness, I’ve had great luck with Spiegelau and Oberglas 22 oz. Bordeaux glasses. I’ve been running them through the dishwasher for years and I don’t believe the machine has ever broken one. Pretty thin and pretty sturdy, and moderately priced.

Oh, and on the BYO thing - it depends on the restaurant. But most of the places where I BYO either have mediocre glasses which interfere with enjoyment of the wine or (sensibly) limit you to one glass which is inconvenient for a large scale tasting.

+1

I have a mixture. But I don’t know what you guys are doing to break so many glasses. I can’t remember the last time we broke one, and at least half of my glasses are the supposedly fragile Vinums. I just wash them by hand, and am moderately careful, and have never had an issue.

Brand aside, I think it’s important to have at least 3 types of glasses: white, big red, and Burgundy (for lighter or more subtle reds such as Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo). Without the 3rd type, you’re missing out on a LOT of aromatics in more subtle reds. I’ve experimented with several other types, and have whittled my replacement buying down to those 3 types and an all-purpose travel glass when I can find something appropriate at a low price at Home Goods or some such place.

I almost always bring glasses to BYO restaurants. I tend to bring what I consider nice wines, so it’s well worth the added effort to not drink those out of what are almost always really crappy glasses.

They are all having wild drunken parties!

I don’t agree every Riedel is that fragile. The Vinum Extremes are great and i love the Nebbiolo/Burgundy Glass for my Barolos.