Stemware! Seriously?

[CJ_Beazley]

We have every thanksgiving at my neices house and over the years I’ve given her such a hard time about her stemware that this year she went and bought Reidel Pinot glasses…I broke one washing it. I will never hear the end of this. Knock on wood, I’ve never broken a Schott, I think they are much tougher than Reidel

[AndrewH]

@CJ Beazley

We have every thanksgiving at my neices house and over the years I’ve given her such a hard time about her stemware that this year she went and bought Reidel Pinot glasses…I broke one washing it. I will never hear the end of this. Knock on wood, I’ve never broken a Schott, I think they are much tougher than Reidel

Send her a gift of two, with a note telling her that you’re sure she’'ll be needing a second replacement soon anyway.

[A_K_a_I_l]

I use the Vinium bordeaux and chardonnay glasses. Hand wash them and they seem reasonably durable. Last week at Costco here in CT picked up a new 8 pack of Vinium bordeaux for $99, which was around $50 cheaper than I’d seen anywhere else. They had the chardonnay glasses as well.

We were gifted some of the Sommelier glasses for our wedding - beautiful glasses, terrified to use them.

[GregT]

Do I need more than two types? Really?

Joe - yes.

You should have a glass for right bank and another for left bank Bordeaux, and separate glasses for the wine at 10 years, 20 years, and then 30 years and beyond. Some people say they would like a glass for 25 year Bordeaux, but there really isn’t a market for people with that level of discernment.

Then of course, you’ll want glasses for Pinot Noir, depending on where it’s from. See, Pinot Noir is about terroir and PN from California is very different from that grown in France, so they have Burgundy glasses and Sonoma glasses and Willamette Valley glasses and so on.

That’s not the case with Syrah because that’s pretty much the same whether it’s from Barossa Valley or the North Rhone, and no matter what the age is, so a single Syrah glass is usually OK.

Riesling is another tricky one - it’s grown in so many places in the world that it’s hard to keep up with the required glassware.

And it’s more than just shape. Some people aren’t able to pick up the same nuance when they drink from a glass with a rolled lip. Now I don’t mean the lip on their face, I mean the lip of the glass. Glassware is heated and the lip of the glass rounds off. Crystal can be cut and the lip of the glass is sharper. But of course, you don’t want the bowl of the glass itself to have any cutting or etching because you’re supposed to look at the wine in the glass before drinking it. If you don’t look at it and swirl it and look at the legs, you don’t understand WTF you’re doing.

And don’t forget - for some people, the glass still affects the taste of the wine once it’s in their mouths.

Two glasses? Cripes. Do you only drink two wines?

Go to the Riedel website - they’re trying to keep up with the plethora of wines, but they still don’t have enough glasses.

Here’s a little mnemonic - your wine will taste like ass if you drink it from the incorrect glass.

[k_s_h_i_n]

For me, Bordeaux and Young Syrah in Bordeaux, Red Burgundy and mature Northern Rhone in Burgundy, also some white Burgundy in Burgundy and whites in white except shy mature reds in white glass. Champagne in white unless Zalto champagne.

[gene_keenan]

@Joe B

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?

Three words:
Riedel Restaurant Series

$5/stem (comes in a case of 12) - find a restaurant you frequent and ask them to order them for you. If you lived in SF i’d get them for you.

[S_Haller]

Or you can skip all this nonsense and get these. They are quite sturdy and you get the big bonus of keeping your wine fresh for later with the lids.

[JKim]

@A K a I l

Last week at Costco here in CT picked up a new 8 pack of Vinium bordeaux for $99

Wow, that’s a great deal. Little over $12/stem. I’ve never seen that kinda deal at my Costco.

[gene_keenan]

@S Haller

Or you can skip all this nonsense and get these. They are quite sturdy and you get the big bonus of keeping your wine fresh for later with the lids.

You laugh but there were a couple of wine bars here in SF that uses these (sans stems). One place changed hands and the other I think will not survive long.

[A_K_a_I_l]

@JKim

@A K a I l

Last week at Costco here in CT picked up a new 8 pack of Vinium bordeaux for $99

Wow, that’s a great deal. Little over $12/stem. I’ve never seen that kinda deal at my Costco.

I was surprised myself. Pulled out my phone and used Red Laser to check. Great deal, they had pallets of them. I read about all the great wine deals the California folks get at Costco. Here in CT, all I can get are glasses!

[Brian_Loring]

@Doug Schulman

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).

And of course something for Champagne! I like Reidel Vinum Extreme Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Chardonnay.

[Joe_B]

Some of you guys are funny. And some of you may need help.

[NED_VALOIS]

Riedel, Waterford, Baccarat ($175), Schott Zwiesel, Meissen Crystal, Luminarc ($2.50) , ST Louis($$$)-different strokes for different wines ,people and/or Occasions.
Schotts are tough , Riedel are nice BUT Fragile , Baccarat Champagne are gorgeous, St Louis are exquisite, Meissen are classic and OLDER than me (1930’s) !!

[Nate_Simon]

Most of the time, it’s Burg stems for all wine, possibly smaller white glasses for sparklers. If served at the proper temp, I find a bigger bowl just fine for whites.

[john_richards]

+1 - this

they go in the dishwasher

Bordeaux, Pinot/Burgundy, and Reisling/Chianti

3 types has you covered

@gene keenan

@Joe B

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?

Three words:
Riedel Restaurant Series

$5/stem (comes in a case of 12) - find a restaurant you frequent and ask them to order them for you. If you lived in SF i’d get them for you.

[Maxence_WERCK]

More seriously, I’ve switched from INAO/ISO Tasting Glasses to Riedel Overture (Red + White) and Riedel Vinum Cuvée Prestige (Sparkling) a month ago. I feel like it’s two different worlds. I tried comparing the Riedel and INAO with the same wine (I wish I could have done it blind, somehow) and the INAO seemed somewhat duller/less defined than the Riedel.

I feel that, once again, I’ve stepped in a world that’s pretty bad for my wallet.

[paul_hanna]

@Jay Miller

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.

Yeah, me as well.

Zalto red Burg glasses simply can’t be beat IMHO.

[paul_hanna]

@john richards

+1 - this

they go in the dishwasher

Bordeaux, Pinot/Burgundy, and Reisling/Chianti

3 types has you covered

@gene keenan

@Joe B

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?

Three words:
Riedel Restaurant Series

$5/stem (comes in a case of 12) - find a restaurant you frequent and ask them to order them for you. If you lived in SF i’d get them for you.

We use these when we have a group of 10 or more, and when we need 4-6 glasses each, so in bigger dinners tastings.

it makes it easier that they are dishwasher-able, and they are cheap (in comparison) if you can get your hands on them.

But, to be honest, in tasting comparisons, they aren’t as good as the proper Reidels, and are no where near as good as the Zaltos…

I have done this a number of times recently, and even others who we have tried this with agree. If you are truly serious, and especially if you are spending big $$$$ on wines, then IMHO it only makes sense to go with the best…

[Daniel_Mattisson]

Anyone have any thoughts on burgundy glasses with an angular bowl, like the Schott “Pure” series?

[cbehensky]

@Daniel Mattisson

Anyone have any thoughts on burgundy glasses with an angular bowl, like the Schott “Pure” series?

I haven’t done a side-by-side comparison, but I’ve had the same wine from the Pure burgs and Forte claret burg glasses. Granted, they were a few months apart, but I didn’t notice much difference. The wine tasted just as good from my friend’s Pure as it did from my Forte. To be honest, I don’t really like the way the sharp angles feel in the hand, but they’re nice to look at and seem to perform as well as a more traditionally-shaped glass.