Stemware

I’ve been trying to do a search on this site and the other, but I’m not really finding what I need. I want to upgrade my stemware without spending a fortune on breakable glasses. Right now I have the Fusion stemware that Wine Enthusiast offers. I actually really enjoy them except for the fact that their volumes aren’t what I’d like. For instance, the pinot glass is 20 oz. and I like a larger bowl.

I’m just curious what you guys and gals are using for your everyday wines and what recommendations you might have. I know the usual suspects, I just don’t want something that’s going to break while I’m drying it.

Cheers!

If I were to redo all my stemware, I’d get rid of my Riedels and go with Zaltos. We only have the Champagne glasses, but love them. I’ve heard really great things about their white wine glass and their Burg glass as well.

Schott-Zwiesel. They are made with titanium in the glass instead of lead (as Riedel uses) so they are significantly stronger and theoretically somewhat healthier.

I do like the looks of the Zaltos. Any idea on the ounces?

+1.
A note: they have many lineups so you have to hunt around to find which size and model you want. I took advantage of a recent (but now out-of-business-type) deal on ebay where a set of 6 S-Z Forte Burgundy (the bigger ones) glasses was $25.

If you don’t care about breakage, then Amazon.com often has good deals on Spiegelau Burgundy glasses.

For everyday use, I like Spiegelau. We’ve had 6 each of the white wine, Bordeaux, and Burgundy stems for several years, and it takes a lot of effort to break them.

+2 - pretty soon I’ll have nothing but Zwiesel b/c the Riedels keep breaking… [swearing.gif]

Strange. I looked at the Zalto website and the websites of the two retailers in the US that I know sell the glasses (http://www.winemonger.com" onclick=“window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.wineerotica.com” onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and none of them list the capacity of the glasses. The Champagne glass is on the smaller side of capacity, but it really doesn’t bother us. And though they look very fragile, they are dishwasher-safe and seem very sturdy.

Yeah, I wish they displayed capacity. I would be salty if they ended up being 20 ounce burgundy glasses just like I have. I guess I could always contact them. What a crazy idea! :slight_smile:

Zalto is the best stemware on earth, period.

“Universal” - best Riesling glass on earth and perfect all-around glass

And the rest of the collection also performs terrific…

I just measured the Zalto Denk’art Burg, about 29-30 oz (a bit larger than my ideal, but great glasses)

What I’m buying these days are mostly Schott (for durability) and Zalto. The Zaltos are expensive, but I love the look and how the Champagne and white wine glasses benefit the wines (haven’t tried any of the of the other glasses yet). They’re also more durable than they look.

But I will say that in my experience the glasses that have been the most durable of any I’ve owned are the Riedel Wine series. I don’t like the look of the stems but they certainly are sturdy and the bowl shapes match the other lines.

Cost Plus World Market has a sale on “German Made” crystal glasses for $6.99, and another 10% off a six-pack. The salesperson swore they were Riedel. I bought six of the “pinot” to try them out - they are the ones with the curved outward lip. Size is 22 oz and yet they seem short enough to fit in the dishwasher. At that price, they are worth a try.