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Wine Glasses - Printable Version

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Pages: 1 2


- winerific - 02-24-2004

Is it important to use to correct glass? For champagne it's obvious...the glass is just a part of it. --Thanks

(I posted this question yesterday, but I don't think it made it on the board)


- Innkeeper - 02-24-2004

Hi Winerific, and welcome to the Wine Board. Depends on who you listen to. Champagne flutes are de rigueur. Beyond that it gets cloudy. If you wanted, the top makers of stemware will provide you something different for wines from every region in the world.

We have Bordeaux glasses, and chardonnay glasses. We use the latter for most whites. Beyond that we have some that could possibly pass for Burgundy/pinot noir glasses, and rest are rather utilitarian. As the fancy ones are tricky to wash and dry without damage or at least a lot of fuss, and since we drink wine every night, we tend to use the utilitarian sorts most frequently.


- wineguruchgo - 02-25-2004

Hi there!

I tend to be a snob when it comes to stemware. I'm a huge fan of Riedel and I do believe it does make a difference. I only have three types of glasses - White, Cab/Merlot and Pinot Noir.

Innkeeper, despite what you think, I too drink wine almost daily and I throw them in the dishwasher!

Life is grand!


- winerific - 02-25-2004

Thanks for all the advice. It is wonderful to know this board is out here! I will be wearing out my welcome. [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]


- Innkeeper - 02-25-2004

Guruchgo, you must have some kind of a dishwasher. My top of the line from Sears eats Riedels for lunch.


- Kcwhippet - 02-25-2004

IK, There's a detergent made that you can use in the dishwasher that doesn't etch Riedels. I forget what it's called but I think I saw it on the Wine Enthusiast site.


- micpic8 - 02-25-2004

There is definately a difference in the taste of the wine depending on the glass you use. Riedle has it down to a science. Riedle has designed the glasses so the wine pours on to your tounge and into your mouth to maximize the flavor. If you don't believe me try it. We did a Riedle Glass Wine Tasting at the restauarnat last year and it was an amazing thing. We compared the taste of Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay in a regular glass and then a Riedle. To take it a step further we tasted the wine from the wrong type of Riedle glass also, and believe me you can taste the difference.


- hotwine - 02-25-2004

We use Riedels every night, but I always wash them gently by hand and blot dry with a paper towel. She broke one a few weeks ago, drying it with a dish towel. Grrr.


- winerific - 02-25-2004

Wow! This can be as complicated as other facets of being "in-the-know" with wine. I didn't know....but there's something to be said for using a wine glass that is more expensive than the wine! [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] (since my wallet is more Dillard's than Neiman Marcus, ha!) I'll just have to take my chances with a simple tulip for whites and round for reds.

Okay, here's another one...to decant or not to decant?? ...reds of course.


- Innkeeper - 02-25-2004

You don't have to go the Riedel route to get nice stemware. We have a small chain in our neck of the woods called Planet, that has some very nice stuff made in Germany for $3 to $8 per stem. They look like, and drink like the real thing.

We decant all reds except Beaujolais and similar light reds. There is no better reason than a shot of air seems to improve them even if they are ready to drink. If the wine is old, we do it much more carefully as we did last night. If the wine is younger than it should be, we decant as much as three or four hours ahead of time.


- wineguruchgo - 02-25-2004

Innkeeper,

Maybe your dishwasher is too good! I have a Kenmore that I paid $139.00 for in a close out and the glasses are beautiful!

For my bigger glasses, I bend the tynes in to accomodate and keep them stable.

I also don't pay much because I get them wholesale from the restaurant I work in. Less than $4.00 per stem for the big Bordeaux glasses.

Winerific,

To answer your question. There are two theories for decanting. The first is if the wine is an old bottle and is throwing sedement. The trick is to watch the neck of the wine bottle and when the sediment starts to appear in the neck, stop pouring. Not worth the few ounces that have contained the sediment.

The second theory is to open the wine faster. This will probably end up being a debate, but here goes. Wine needs oxygen and what you are doing when you are decanting is not only forcing oxygen into it when you pour it, but you are also inceasing the surface area of the wine for oxygen to reach it. Yet, I have read recently that you will achieve the same effect by pouring the wine from the bottle into the glass and letting it breathe there.

I guess it's personal preference.


- Kcwhippet - 02-25-2004

It's not just about Riedels anymore. There's another line from Spiegelau that we have for everyday use. They're a lot like Riedels in the way they bring out the best qualities of the wines, but they're considerably cheaper. In fact, Amazon frequently runs specials on them. Recently they ran a special where if you bought a six pack of Spiegelau Bordeaux glasses for $29.99, they throw in a six pack of Burgundy glasses free, and the shipping was free. We got a set last year, and a few weeks ago we got another four sets to use as gifts. I just checked, and they're not currently running the special, but check www.amazon.com periodically and they should probably be having it again.


- sedhed - 02-25-2004

I bought some Lenox we like. Still wash by hand though


- Tastevin - 02-26-2004

Of course the shape, size and stem length of wine glasses make a difference to the taste of wine, as does the way they are cleaned. Maybe quality does too. But to say Riedle has it down to science – well really! Riedle has some glasses that pour wine onto your tongue and into your mouth to maximise the flavour. Mine have been doing that for years. When I want a drink, I place the rim of the glass onto my lower lip, tilt the glass stem up and lo and behold the wine runs out of the glass, into my mouth and on to my tongue (will send a diagram if anyone is interested). May I ask what shape these Riedle glasses are? Do they have spouts that one places between ones lips, or what? I’m going to find out if they have a branch over here, and see if they will do a tasting for me in such a way that I will not be able to see the glasses. I bet I know what the result will be. T

[This message has been edited by Tastevin (edited 02-26-2004).]


- sedhed - 02-26-2004

Do I detect some of that famous British skepticism concering Riedle?


- dananne - 02-26-2004

My wife became disgusted at my breakage rate on the Riedels, so she bought complete sets of the Tritan stemware from Wine Enthusiast. They're titanium crystal, and damn near unbreakable, and I'd know! Dishwasher safe, too, which saves me the time spent washing them by hand. I believe KC recommended Second Generation detergent from Whole Foods, which I've found is very gentle for the stemware.


- winoweenie - 02-26-2004

tastvin ole bean had to jump in after your last post. Heck Fire ole' bean you can accomplish the same manuever you describe with a tin cup. Reidel has spent a lot of lab time and engineering designing glasses. I'll wager you a Freedom Fry to a Chip that we can pour your favourite Claret into your glass and into a Reidel Vinium series Bordeax and you can tell the difference in bouquet, color , and taste. Well worth the little time and extra care in cleaning that these glasses require. The Spiengau are very fine knock-offs but I can still tell the diff in bouquet and taste. For everyday I agree these are great vessels. Any wine I open thats over 5 years old goes in the Reidies. WW


- Tastevin - 02-27-2004

So, what we are talking about is Vinium, not as I thought, another newer range. Winoweenie, there was I thinking that we had the monopoly on wine snobbery, only to find it alive and kicking across the pond! Georg Reidel being a very astute man hit on the idea of making a range of glasses that would appeal to a certain type of consumer. So he tinkered around with the standard ‘egg’ shape, gave the various shapes (which are still fundamentally ‘egg’ shaped) names such as ‘Chardonnay’, ‘Pinot Noir’, called the range Vinium, and then smiled all the way to the Bank. As far as my glassware is concerned Winoweenie, I have stayed, and will remain with, my standard ‘egg’ shape glasses. Why? Because the glass quality and clarity is very good, the ‘egg’ shape is not only ideal for concentrating the bouquet, and drinking from, it is also aesthetically pleasing.
Reading your comment about cleaning, I suggest the reason why you notice a difference in the wine is because you now clean the glasses better. By the way, what is the special significance of the 5 years you mention? By the way again, why do you call me Bean? T.


- Innkeeper - 02-27-2004

Methinks that most of folks that proffered their theories here maintain a small selection of stems, and opt for Riedel only when the price is right. Doesn't sound like snobbery to moi.


- sedhed - 02-27-2004

Since we are on the subject, I received a gag gift some years ago. It's called a port pipe. I forgot the name of the manufacturer. It stands about 8" high and has an egged shaped bowl around 3" in length. It's made intirely of glass and feels very light and fragile. There is a "straw' that come out of the bottom of the bowl and extends upward to about 3" above the rim. The idea is to fill the bowl with the port and sip it through the straw. You hold as if you were smoking a pipe. I only use it when I have friends over to freak them out. Otherwise I like a larger glass then the riedel port glass that I have.

[This message has been edited by sedhed (edited 02-27-2004).]

[This message has been edited by sedhed (edited 02-27-2004).]