I encountered a different model from this line of glassware in a moderately priced restaurant recently. I thought that they were pretty nice for a casual joint, and did a little searching. I liked the shape on this model, so I got a couple to try, the 16 ounce and 25 ounce versions.
To answer the obvious question, these are not at all expensive:
They are said to be very durable, and are machine washable.
They do feel a little heavy in the hand (my wife immediately noted that they were “thicker” than our standard Riedel restaurant everyday drinkers). The 16 ounce version weighs in at 185 g, the 25 ounce version at 225 g. Interestingly, the latter bigger one feels better in the hand, a little more balanced.
As you can see, the shape is pleasing. Again, these are designed to be a little heavier duty, and so may feel a little top heavy compared to higher end glasses.
In terms of performance, they are pretty user-friendly, and seem to concentrate aromas and flavor well. No major complaints on that front.
At the price, I think they deserve a look if you are searching for a fairly resilient model that comes in at a nice price.
They are. But, I’d bet they’re durable.
That’s really the point of my post. If you want something that is somewhat stylish but also relatively solid, this might be a good option.
After feeling the pain of breaking expensive glasses too many times I have gone with a Libby Prism 24 oz glass. I actually like them quite a bit and when I break one it’s only like 8 bucks versus some of the usual prices of 20 to 30 bucks. There is something appealing for hand blown glasses - I am just not careful enough!
Truthfully, these stems are certainly as good as most restaurants use.
We have three types of glasses in the house. Grassl Elemental, Glasvin Universal, Grassl Cru… these are three levels of sturdiness. Elemental for most sturdy (large dishwasher loads etc.), Glasvin when guests will be more thoughtful/more focus on the wine, and Grassl vignerons for geeks.
Just what I need - more wine glasses - and don’t forget the boxes hidden away that I occasionally need for those tastings. Makes me wonder am I a collector of wine or collector of stemware.
