Looking for new stems. Suggestions other than Riedel?

WINE TALK
21

Riedel make some of the best time tested glassware. Not sure why you would not want them.
Mondavi by Waterford are quite awesome. I have paid as little of $5 a stem for the Bordeaux glass at BB&B.

22

Unfortunately, so is Spiegelau.

23

Because if I have a choice of supporting someone who isn’t an asshole, I will.

24
  • a lot!!
25

Interesting perspective. Life should be so idealistic.

26

So if you have the choice (and I’m well aware that often we don’t), you’d rather support a complete douchebag?

27

Not the point. If he feels like he has been libeled by the hose, than so be it. it does not detract from the quality of the item he produces. I make no judgments for either side.
With your thinking you would hate to find out that Bill Gates or Tim Cook are assholes or the guy that makes your pizza, as good as it is, or the person that sells you heating oil when it’s cold. My point is to come here seeking glassware of anybody but the Riedel this week is a bit dis-ingenuousness IF that’s Dan’s message.
Just my asshole opinion.

28

I’m with Mark on this one. In fact, I’ve convinced many a person to purchase the Infinity Bordeaux: http://www.wineenthusiast.com/fusion-infinity-cabernet-merlot-bordeaux-wine-glasses-(set-of-4).asp and each person swears by them. They’re break-resistant, though they do break if dropped on the ground, for instance. Though I witnessed a broom handle fall onto the brim of the bulb and sling the stem across a backyard table and it withstood that test with flying colors.

I have no affiliation whatsoever.

I should state, however, that my goto stemware is Zalto – simply the best, though expensive.

Best,

Kenney

29

Kenny - yes Zaltos are not cheap, but they are no more expensive than the cost of a lot of single bottles most participants here have in their cellars.

30

Mike,

I’ve been losing my glasses due to breakage one by one over the past few months. When I read the Riedel thread, it gave me the idea to post this thread. After I posted, I realized the potential troll appeal the thread title had. It wasn’t my intention because the topic is legitimate. On a recent thread this past week, I saw a thread spiral out of control (I think you know the one I’m talking about).

I’ve spent lots of time reading the Parker boards in the past, and now WineBerserkers. That’s what has made me a wise buyer. [whistle.gif] [wink.gif]

Now it’s time to learn about stems. [cheers.gif]

31

S-Z are terrific for the price. I also have a couple of Zaltos I use regularly. They’re better but hideously expensive

32

And they are really durable.

33

I love them too; in part they don’t break so easily because they use titanium, as opposed to lead.

34

What Merrill said to the power of 100.

What Mike said to the power of 100.

Life is too short not to enjoy it fully. I have a buddy who flies the world according to that philosophy. :wink:

35

Dan, does this mean you will NOW buy Riedel?

hahahahahahaha :slight_smile:

36

What’s next. Fox and Trump getting back together? [wink.gif]

37

Count me as a big fan of the Gabriel Glas mouth-blown…just love it! Also have the machine made which I like as well but the mouth-blown is worth the extra tariff.

38

We’ve got Zaltos, and they’re lovely, but we don’t use them much because, cost. Yes, we have bottles of wine that we drink fairly regularly that cost as much as the stem, but it’s also true that we have other, much cheaper stems that work just as well, and I don’t have to worry about breaking. Kind of the same reason we drink more $30 bottles than $100, but rarely any $10. The difference between the $10 bottle and the $30 is exponential and more than justifies the price jump; the difference between the $30 and the $100 is more subtle, and harder to appreciate when the $30 is already damn good.

Beyond Zalto, we’ve tried a lot of lower cost glasses. I, personally, don’t like the Riedel Vinium because I’ve found them more fragile, and pricier, than most. I’m also not a fan of the Crate and Barrel Hip that other people here like because they seem both ridiculously large and terribly fragile.

I’ve had my Luigi Bormioli Atelier Cabernet/Merlot glasses for years and years (like 12+) and can attest they’re pretty hard to break. We’ve still got 8 of the 12 we bought in the '90s. You can often find Bormioli’s at places like Home Goods, T.J. Maxx or Ross for great prices (~$3/glass). There are lots of Bormioli-branded wine glasses, so look for those that have Son.hx glass, which is their “unbreakable” glass.

If you care, the Intenso 740 Bormiolis are dead ringers for the Zalto Universal glasses and I see them all the time in the discount stores.

I’ve also had good luck with the Schott Zwiesel Tritan, the Tritan part being their special glass.

But my current favorites are the Spiegelau Hybrid Bordeaux, which also boast some sort of “break resistant” glass formulation and are basically identical to the Zalto Bordeaux for a lot less money (see side-by-side photo here: http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1711340#p1711340). Yes, that won’t work if you’re boycotting Riedel on principle, because they own Spiegelau as well, but if you’re just looking for good, well-priced stemware, that’s my No. 1 recommend.

I got my Spiegleau’s here: Spiegelau 4328035 Hybrid 23 oz. Bordeaux Wine Glass - 12/Case (no affiliation; just paying it forward as I originally got that link from someone else on this site and am very grateful) and they’ve become my go-to glass for the past year. Haven’t lost one yet, even with near daily, not-so-careful use and dishwasher washing.

39

Here’s another anecdote: we purchased 14 each of the Zalto Universals and Burgundies about a year ago. We bought so many because we expected to break them over time, as we have in the past with Reidel and others. A year later, we still have 14 of each. We use them almost every day, and we always wash them in the dishwasher.

In another cabinet, we have a hodgepodge of Reidel Vinum, Schott Zweisel, Speigelau, and Crate & Barrel – actually we only have one C&B left of the 8 we bought about 18 months ago (6 were broken in the first six months). We’ve had the best luck with the Schott Zweisel out of all of them: 6 of 8 purchased 4 years ago. But none have been any more durable than the Zaltos. The Reidels were little better than the C&B (1 of 4 Syrah glasses purchased 5 years ago, and 3 of 6 Oregon Pinot purchased 3 years ago). We don’t bother with any of these glasses except when we have big parties.

Maybe we are more subconsciously more careful with the Zaltos. But for us, it doesn’t make any sense to use cheap “daily drinker” glasses when the Zaltos seem to hold up great, give us a consistent drinking experience, and provide a little extra enjoyment.

40

Big fan of the Infinity glasses…reasonably priced too. Admittedly, I’ve never used Zalto.