Okay, let's talk wine glassware. Americans are a clique-y bunch and I'm one, to be sure - well, I was....I was a little disappointed to find that when looking in this category (a new one), nothing listed but RIEDEL. Okay, I do admit Riedel stands alone as THE wineglass king right now. Top quality, top dollar and "Dah-ling, you wouldn't THINK of drinking wine from a-n-y-thing else, now would you??" Yeah, right....

I guess my message is pointed in the direction of ENJOYMENT - not trendiness. Sure, I've been a wine enthusiast, Robert Mondavi fan, collector, tasting fan, vineyard follower, and wino-in-general for alot of years. I'm very opinionated about wines and their enjoyment - as are most winemakers, serious collectors, and just long-time wine-drinkers. I have also bought myself presents from time to time of Riedel wine glasses. My favorite riedel glass is this one - the bordeaux. It is big and it traps plenty of aroma to be used for both red or white. At its 22 oz. capacity, 5 oz.(a normal restaurant glass serving) looks teeny-tiny in the bottom of its bowl!

Wine DOES taste better when drunk from a glass - as opposed to plastic, paper, or it's own bottle. Why? Because your senses say so. Okay, then there are different grades of glass and there are several simple, layman tests for that, too. 1) Hold a wine glass by its stem and slowly rotate the bowl in front of your eyes. If you see major(if any) distortions in the glass as you rotate, the glass is poor(inexpensive) quality and mass produced. 2) Lay the glass on its side on a smooth, flat surface(so that the edge of the foot and the side of the bowl touch the surface. The glass should be level and when lightly pushed, should roll smooth, even, and straight. These 2 tests signify a well-made(quality) glass. Now test for THINNESS. Yes, the thickness of the glass of the bowl itself say something about quality. This is eaily tested by "pinging" the bowl with your fingernail. Not only should it ring, but a quality glass should ring for several seconds(10 at least).

Riedel passes all these with flying colors. No contest. BUT - do we always need Riedel quality(accompanied with Riedel prices) to enjoy our good wines? NO, NO, NO! I did say 'good' - not 'best'. Riedel is for 'special'. There are(in the restaurant business), BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IMITATION RIEDEL wine glasses. Disappointed? Don't be....they are excellent wine glasses at a fraction of the cost. "OH, NO!", you say. "How can this be?" Well, what determines the price of anything? DEMAND!(popularity, I'm afraid).

How do you tell the difference? The real Riedels from the fakes (or 'knock-offs', as they are called)? HERE IT IS - LISTEN UP! At the base of the stem (right at the line where the stem joins the foot), If there is a small, ring-shaped bulge, it is the FAKE. The real Riedel has no bulge. That's it! Done! Some of the finest restaurants in the country (which shall here remain nameless) use them. Really.......

Now, what about you? Well, there is a number of store chains and catalogs that are offering wonderful wine glasses 99% similar(and 1 of which I personally like better than Riedel) that anyone can order and buy for about $10.00 per glass. I really like that. Williams Sonoma is one of them. Excellent stemware, Riedel look-alikes, at reasonable prices.

Riedel is an excellent product. My everday wine glass is Riedel's Vinum Tasting glass (not listed in Epinions) and it happens to be the ONLY machine-made glass Riedel makes. Cost? A whopping $8.00 per glass! They come in a 10-pack box (guess they figure you'll break a couple using them so much!). You be the judge and, hopefully, not a snob.....



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): Too much