I like the angle when swirling…feels safer especially after a few drinks!
I’ll +2 this. It takes a friend but is well worth it at $5/stem. They come in a compact 12-glass box and are easy to take to offlines/byobs.
On a tangent but given the thread… The one Riedel stem I’ve found to significantly improve the named wine is their Tempranillo glass. It honestly does the grape wonders. That being said, it seems to have been discontinued in the last year or two; I can’t find it on their website. Can anyone else confirm or deny this, and if true are there any decent sources to find any remaining stock from? After extensive searching I’ve only found one (on Amazon) and their price has gone up almost 50% in the last year or so. Thanks in advance.
I have a mixed bag of Riedel & Spieglau Bordeaux glasses, Riedel Champagne Grand Cru flutes, Schott Zweisel Burg glasses, and some Spieglau stemless I usually bring to OL’s. Once I have some more attrition I guess I will have to try the Zaltos.
Is Reidel (or other expensive stemware) “worth it”? IMO, Yes, it is. But, that’s a personal preference thing. Even though I answer “yes” to the “worth it?” question, I don’t think the “no” answer has any less merit.
Do you “need” any more than two types? No. But, you might prefer more than two types. Hell, you don’t really “need” any more than one universal wine glass. That said, like many here, I do enjoy having multiple types of wine glass. The ones that I give the most use to are a universal red wine glass, a smaller white wine glass, an even-smaller-yet zin/dessert wine glass, and a Pinot glass. I could easily get by with those 4, but will admit to having a couple others, too.
If the extra glassware helps add enjoyment to the wine experience, then why not do it? After all, most folks here spend an objectively absurd amount of money on wine, so throwing a little additional money at nice glassware is essentially nothing in the long run. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
for us, S-Z Diva Bordeaux, Burg, Chard and flutes. I also have Spiegelau Burg. We have a handful of Riedel, including Som series Rhones (which I use infrequently although they are wonderful).
We’ve done the different glass test many times–it matters.
I have a few somms and a whole bunch of vinums. Then I found nachtmann vivendi xxl. Owned by riedel. Less than ten bucks a glass and the exact same shape as riedel somm burg. A half an imch shorter (couldnt tell until i put them side by side. Bed bath and beyond has them.
I agree with the Nachtmann Crystal Vivendi Stemware at Bedbathbeyond. $6 with a coupon and are great glasses. I take glasses to a BYOB for red wines. Have a carrier for 2 glasses and 2 bottles. Use the restaurants for the white.
What does this mean? Is each dollar sign a zero behind a one, so 1000 a bottle or maybe 100 a bottle? What constitutes big $$$$?
Joe, this is a great answer to your question. On another note, I`e had Riedel stemware for over 25 years [both Vinum and Sommelier] and the breakage issue is minimal. I hand wash and dry every stem. I have broken more glasses while transporting them carelessly from our rooftop to our kitchen below than from washing.
Got turned on to a producer called Eisch last time I was in Spain. Everybody was using them in their tasting rooms. Haven’t really seen them here or heard mention of them but they’re available on the web.
That being said, I have tons of Vinums which we received as wedding gifts and we hardly ever break anything. (We only wash them the next morning though… ![[drinkers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/82916bed5ad74ac8470bc04089d9758b0c80c9fa.gif "drinkers"){kind=small}
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Joe, another thought. If you find the stemware does make a difference, you will definitely want to carry them to BYOBs and restaurants where their stems are inferior for the wine you are taking/ drinking. Riedel has a carrying case, as do others, that works perfectly for doing such. The ones I have have velcro dividers which can be removed or repositioned. Often, I take all out and pack the stems in plastic bubble which allows for more stems to be packed. Its a choice I choose to make. Yes, Im pretty geeky.
I have been through the Riedel glass seminar and have done some experimenting on my own and think you really need three types of glasses.
A Bordeaux/Cabernet type glass.
A Burgundy/Pinot Noir type glass. I have found that I like White Burgundies in these glasses as much as in the Riedel Chardonnay glasses. I got three sets of Riedel glasses (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Montrachet and Sauvignon Blanc) when I did the Riedel comparison on a cruise - the glasses came with the price of the tasting and the tasting was a lot of fun. I came home and did an experiment with a white Burgundy and with a Chablis. I really could not tell much difference between the Burgundy glass and the Montrachet glass, but the wine was much better in these two than in the other two glasses).
Finally, what I would call a traditional all purpose wine glass like the Riedel Overture Red. I drink riesling out of these and everyday wines. They also go in the dishwasher.
I guess for Burgs it means in the hundred(s) (to thousands) range, ie Grand Cru…
For those in the NJ area
+1
Exactly my thoughts
I use the Schott Zweisel Tritan (titanium crystal) in the Forte style, 6 different:
Claret aka Bordeaux–different boxes have different names, but the easiest way to ID them on a website is by volume (21.1 oz)
Burgundy (24.7 oz)
Water–I use this for bigger whites (17.3 oz)
Burgundy white (13.6 oz)
White aka Wine Goblet–I use these for dessert wines (9.4 oz)
Champagne fluet–rarely use these, preferring the dessert glass for bubbly (7.6 oz)
I have 18 of each, so I’m well stocked for when you visit! If I remember, I paid ~$9-10 each from Sur la Table for most of them. Actually, on the ZW website, they don’t list “Forte” anymore, but it looks to be identical to the “Vina” style. I like their traditional styling over the more modern styling of Zaltos etc.
I put them in the dishwasher and I’ve only ever broken one (when I slammed it into another when loading the washer).
I have a couple of Riedel carrying cases, which I usually load with 3 Bordeaux, 1 Burgundy white, and 1 dessert glass, which will just barely fit (or 4 Burgundy):
My Reidels, which were all gifts, are saved for when the gifters visit!
Thanks!
FYI, the SZ Forte 18 ounce burg glasses are $49.94 per six pack with free shipping right now on Amazon.
I’ve been moving away from Riedel (a few Sommelier, but mostly Vinum) and towards Spiegelau due to durability issues. While I don’t break the Riedels, it seems that everyone else that washes them does. The Spiegelau are perfectly acceptable even if I wish that they had thinner lips. But I can’t give up on the Riedel Syrah glasses - love them. We keep 12 Burg, 12 Bordeaux, and 12 smaller white glasses from Spiegelau, 12 Riedel syrahs, and 12 flutes from Schott Zweisel (although we almost always use the white glasses for bubbles). My remaining Riedel somm glasses are back in their tubes.
Before Riedel bought Spiegelau, Amazon would have them on sale for less than $2/stem. The good old days…