I understand what you say because this is exactly how I felt at the beginning, but after some getting used to, they now work perfectly and are my favorite glasses.
I am tempted by the Champagne glasses too (I also have the Universal) and noticed that they are not too different from those for sweet wine - if they work well also as sweet wine glasses, I would be convinced. Has anybody tried that?
Forget the price, if you want the best wine glasses in the world these are the current winners.
I use Zalto Burgundy, Bordeaux and Universal. They are fabulous glasses and donĀ“t break as quick as one would expect from their thinness.
But better not expect a new dimension of olfactory impressions. Your Riedel Vinums are already good stems in that regard. But the Zaltos have a sublime, light feeling in the hand.
The weight of the Riedel is a real negative.
Also, the Zaltos are much sturdier than the Riedel Vinums.
Personally, I love the Champagne, white wine and Universal. I havenāt quite gotten my head around the Burgundy stem yet.
What wines are you guys using with the Universal? Iām just curious since it looks like a much smaller glass than the Bordeaux. Iām just wondering what works best for the universal.
This is true, but Iāve also broken several of the Zalto Champagne flutes by being stupid/careless in loading the dishwasher (e.g., not realizing the glass would get crushed on the top shelf once I closed the door or whatever). Itās great that they are dishwasher-safe, you just need to be smart about it (which is hard at the end of a night!).
Considering that Zaltos are hand blown, itās a fraction of the price of a hand blown Riedel, isnāt it? Either way its worth it.
Many years ago I received advice that has saved countless glasses - do not wash them after a night of drinking.
Question for you Zalto ownersā¦ What glasses do you use? For exampleā¦
Burgundy - Pinot, Chard, Burg
Bordeaux - Cab, Bordeaux
Universal - Syrah, Zin
Iām trying to see what glasses work best with each. Itās a guessing game.
Jeb - so far I have loved everything Iāve tried from the Universal: Pinot, Cab, Chard, Chenin Blanc, Chablis. Iāve yet to try a Syrah, Zin or Riesling, but I have no doubts the Universal will make them shine as well.
+1 on this. Everything seems to shine in the universal glass.
Can we get a WB wholesale deal yet or whatā¦come on!!!
Each glass is a delicious bottle of wine Iām passing onā¦yet it may be even more delicious in said glass so Iām caught in a predicament hereā¦quite the catch-22.
In the side by side tastings I have done the Universal wins every time. It would be great if there was a way to do it blind, but none-the-less Iām completely sold.
Exactly. Sommelier Series stems are all over $100. My wife and I recently drank out of the Riedel Somm Burg glasses at Troquet, and neither of us thought they were close to the quality of the Zaltos we have at home. Enormous, for one thing - a good bit too large for us - and quite thick glassed and clunky feeling. We definitely prefer the Zaltos at half the price.
Where is the best place to purchase Zaltos glasses?
Winemonger is sliiiightly less expensive than Wine Enthusiast. Shipping is much better too. I donāt know that there is a magical place out there to get them on the cheap.
Zalto glasses are terrific. For me the Zalto glasses are well worth their cost considering how much they improve the wines that I pour into them. They do break however and you have to be careful with them.
Agreed that you canāt knock these around, but I donāt find them anymore fragile than Riedel and they may even be a bit sturdier.
Just to counter Richās statement, I havenāt experienced any breakage or fragile moments. Only issue I had was one rolled off the counter and shattered on the tile floor. Yeah, then itāll break. Totally dishwasher safe, and the preferred method of cleaning.