Originally posted by benzbaby: Reidel is worth your money!! I saw the Reidel Vivant style in Target recently. You can try a set for an inexpensive cost but I would never buy more than 4 or each type - You WILL want a set of each type if you are serious about your wine. (Check out amazon.com, they sell Reidel too)
The "O" glasses are the exact same price but they are based on the Vinum design. I suspect they are better. If you do not mind going stemless (I don't)that is.
Originally posted by shoeman: My husband and I are both in the retail wine biz. We have always used reidal at home and at work. Several years ago, a guy was trying to sell me some Sto Oberglas. He gave me samples of the chianti/zin and sauv blanc glasses. I came home and poured equal amounts of a freshly opened bottle of Elyse Montessouri into each glass and tasted. I couldn't believe that there would be such a difference, especially because I knew what I had done. So I satarted over with equal pours and took them into my husband and said "here, try these." He took several tastes and said "well this is a zin but I'm not sure what this one is." We always knew that we were doing the correct thing by drinking out of a proper glass but until we did the "blind" test, it just proved all of our beliefs. (sub-note) I have never used another brand of high-end glass so I can not say anything to their behalf.
I've never compared glassware. That's interesting; I'll have to try it.
The Reidel O are a concern to me, as they are sure to excessively warm the wine by holding the glass that way, since there is not a stem to hold. Years ago, I had red and white wine glasses. Then I realized my "red" glasses where actually Burgundy. It was then that I ventured into Reidel and bought the Bordeaux glasses, in addition to several others. It did make a difference, a big one. Possibly because I was using a VERY wrong glass before. Reidel has factory seconds, which you can find on Amazon, for half price or so.
Posts: 34 | Location: NC | Registered: Feb 27, 2006
We have the Riedel O glasses and they are great. They feel nice in your hand and without a stem they take up much less vertical shelf space (allowing you to add a shelf and add more glasses!) I was concerned about how thin they were. I was sure that I would break them within a week; but they are durable. You never worry about them tipping over and you hold the glass above the level of the wine so that it doesn't warm. For those who are annoyed by fingerprints... I have no answer, they will get printy; but that doesn't seem to bother us. We have a set of the viogner/chard, riesling/sauv. blanc, cab/merlot and pinot/nebbiolo (and still adding). I enjoy them immensely.
Posts: 10 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: Mar 27, 2006
All this talk about wine glasses is making me wonder about how big a difference there really is between something like a reidel and a cheaper version of the same kind of wine glass? Since I mainly drink bordeaux and cabs the wine glasses I use have pretty much the same shape and size of the reidel style for said wines but at a much lower cost. So I ask those of you who are experienced in wine to please educate me and let me know what the difference really is.
Thanks
After all is said and done it's still only grape juice.
Posts: 18 | Location: Illinois | Registered: Mar 25, 2005
Hey Steve, I don't think the price of the glass is the problem (I could be wrong) as long as it is the proper shape to enhance the qualities of each type of wine. Do you have an ipod or get itunes on your computer? There is a podcast called The Oz Wine Show. The host had the VP of Riedel glass on episode #5. They discussed the importance of glass shape with aromas and flavor, and how the rolled rim of less expensive glasses (vs. the "flat" rim on the Riedel glasses) made the wine hit the incorrect area of the tongue, etc. I realize that it's this guy's job to talk up his product... I'm not a total lemming. I just wanted stemless glasses and they were the only ones I could easily find. It could all be a bunch of hooey, though. If you've been enjoying your wine all along in your current glasses, then more power to you!
p.s. If you get itunes see if you can find that podcast. It is episode #5.
Posts: 10 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: Mar 27, 2006
Our Bordeaux "O" we use everyday. No problem holding on to them and we just run them through the dishwasher with no problem. We also use these for water glasses when we have guests. I've got an assortment of Riedel stems for other things. I purchased Bordeaux's and Port glasses (the latter I found on sale at the local wine warehouse) and my family has been making us "gifts" of other varieties when they can't find anything more imaginitve to give us.
I believe we now have the bordeaux, chianti/zin, syrah, and port in the collection.
Originally posted by Ron Natalie: Our Bordeaux "O" we use everyday. No problem holding on to them and we just run them through the dishwasher with no problem. We also use these for water glasses when we have guests. I've got an assortment of Riedel stems for other things. I purchased Bordeaux's and Port glasses (the latter I found on sale at the local wine warehouse) and my family has been making us "gifts" of other varieties when they can't find anything more imaginitve to give us.
I believe we now have the bordeaux, chianti/zin, syrah, and port in the collection.
Ron Natalie -- I'm sorry, this is off topic for this current thread; but in Wine Conversations on the thread "Where do you buy your wine?" I asked you a specific question. It was an old post and you probably haven't looked back at it lately -- but I would love an answer since we live in the same area. Thanks!
Posts: 10 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: Mar 27, 2006
I just got a pair of Riedel Vinum Brunello glasses. First off, these glasses are huge. The wine glasses I was using are probably more of a chardonay glass. The first thing I noticed when using these glasses is difference of how much nose you get when drinking(not sure if that made sense). I smell the wine so much more now with these new glasses. The bowl(?) on these glasses is so much bigger that I think it traps the aroma of the wine so you smell it with each sip. Very cool glasses
Posts: 48 | Location: Long Island, NY | Registered: Mar 17, 2006
The size and shape of each glass are designed specifically for the aroma/flavor and structure of the indicated varietal/blend. You'll find that Brunello wine will smell and taste different in different-shaped glasses.
Maximilian Riedel and I conducted a tasting last week -- and everyone was pretty amazed at the differences.
Gloria
Gloria Maroti Frazee director of education -- and video Wine Spectator
Posts: 194 | Location: NYC | Registered: Nov 14, 2001
I'll go ahead and disagree with you people saying the perfect glass doesn't exist. That may be true for serving and for getting the most out of a particular wine, but if you're serious about tasting you'll want to do so with uniform glasses, and the best on the market are the simple ISO glasses. Cheap, stable and reliable for tasting.
I wouldn't serve in them though, except for tastings.
Posts: 113 | Location: Grythyttan, Sweden | Registered: May 22, 2006
I think you should try this new glass I just came across recently. It is a company called "Taste of Purple". They this great design that has a dimple in the side that aerates your wine by swirling. I bought a set just to try and it really made a difference! I will never go back to an ordinary glass. I actually did taste tests with my wine snob friends and they saw the difference too.
