After having a number of glasses break over the last year, I am left with a number of mismatched glasses. Thinking it might be a good time to hit reset and get a full set of something.
The Riedel Restaurant series seems like they have a fair number of options (if you know someone in the business, they can acquire them for you). Just curious as to the experience of the Board members with these glasses? I am assuming that they are a little less stylish than the more expensive versions, but also perhaps a bit sturdier? Bottom line, how do they function as everyday glasses?
Among sturdier every day options what about Grassl’s versatile series or the Gabriel stand art?
The bowls are thicker than many of the current board favorites, although I don’t think they are much thicker than the Riedel Vinums. The stems are thicker and sturdier. I think the glass is also lead free. I have 24 restaurant Riedel Sangiovese stems. A wine store used the glasses as their standard (non-sparkling) tasting glass and periodically bought new ones and sold the old ones to customers at a significant discount. They are great as tasting glasses or for an off-line with lots of wines where you want something sturdier and will be taking smaller pours. The rest of the restaurant Riedel line-up would also be good choices as everyday stems with some tradeoff as far as aesthetics.
-Al
They work just fine, Nate. They are a bit thicker than the Vinum line, for example, so – yes – less stylish in that regard. And, of course, they feel very clunky compared to all of the handblown stuff that we talk about most frequently on the board. But they work fine.
That said, my preference at about the same price point (I think the price point is still about the same) is the Riedel Ouverture line, which has shorter stems, but thinner bowls.
Look into Glassvin. He does a Berserker deal of buy 6 get 2. Much better than the Riedel IMO. I prefer GGG and also like Grassl, but Glassvin are very good for the price. I have not tried the new shapes but may do so soon.
I think a key question is whether you plan on handwashing your ‘daily drivers’ or not. That might have some input into whether these will work for you.
95% of the time my glasses go into the Bosch, with a sniff test and hand polish prior to use. So some board faves won’t work for me…
Glassvin is an entirely different type of glass than the Riedel restaurant series. Way more fragile. Way more expensive.
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I’ve never had a problem with Riedel restaurant series at work… I haven’t broken one (knock on wood) so I can speak to their sturdiness with handwashing.
I don’t disagree, and I’ve had both, but he asked for thoughts on the Riedel as an everyday glass. I suggested Glassvin as, in my opinion, a better option. I have Glassvin (universal?) as an entertaining glass and find it to be well suited to that role. I suggested it as a compromise between the Riedel and something more like Grassl / GGG / Zalto. I’ve had the Riedel restaurant years ago, may have one left around somewhere. I would find it way too clunky for my everyday glass these days.
I have had restaurant series that I have used interchangeably with their Vinum counterparts for years. I slightly prefer the restaurant series given their lower weight. I haven’t broken one yet but I also don’t break many other glasses.
My current favorite in this price/durability range is the Speiglau Willsberger series. I find it halfway in between something like a Grassl/Zalto and a Riedel Vinum. They are thinner than a Vinum/Restaurant but feel durable in the hand and don’t scare me when washing.
I use the Riedel restaurant ouverture red glass in my wine lab and for tasting group. I like a small glass and these are not unbreakable but they’re pretty sturdy and the price is right. The other Riedel I really like is the Veritas restaurant Riesling/Zin glass - at home I wash these in the dishwasher with a Stem-Grip.
CB2 sells super thin stemless glasses called Marta that I use for water and sometimes wine, too at home. Check out the double old fashioned Marta glass from CB2. They are made in Poland.
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I bought the Extreme Riesling, Extreme Cabernet, and Os. I use a hand blown universal glass mostly now, but they still get some run in our house (Os about every day, in fact). Brian’s description is spot on, but I certainly don’t mind drinking from them. Only a few might have broken over 10+ years, so they’re pretty good from a durability standpoint. Schott has also been good for us in that respect.
I have 12 packs of the cab and burgundy glasses of these at our cottage. Always go through the dishwasher and I don’t have to worry about my mother in law breaking them. They are a hell of a lot better than the Ikea ones they replaced! And I think I got them for about $8 a stem.
We use that glass all the time. That and a glass from Schott Zweissel, depending on which one I grab. It gets the wine into my mouth, which is all I’m really interested in. I like a shorter stem and I’m not a fan of super-thin glasses. They don’t knock over easily, they’re not ugly to look at, and you don’t find yourself thinking about the glass more than the wine, so they work for us. YMMV. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
The Riesling/Zin shape is the same as the Sangiovese glass I mentioned. In a departure from their usual claims, the glass goes by various names but is apparently engineered to be ideal for each of these varietal wines. It does make a good tasting glass, though.
-Al
There’s some fusion glass from wine enthusiast that’s supposed to be more durable.
Btw I have never broken grassls on the bottom rack.
The Somm Restaurant glasses are the best glass I ever purchased. A friend got me a six pack of the Bordeaux stems and have never broke one. They are the best glass I have ever purchased.
Love the Oregon Pinot Stems also.
That is why they are so great. They look great also.
I’ve had good luck with the bravissimo for cheap glasses