PDXWineauxs

A few years ago I worked on the retail side of the wine biz in Portland, OR. An older lady called me one day for advice. It seems that she had a bottle of wine that she had purchased the previous year and wanted to know if would still be alright to serve for Christmas parties that year. She assured me that she had kept it in her basement where it was dark and cool. I asked her which wine she had. She had a "lovely" Almaden Mt. Rhine. She then informed me that they had only had two glasses out of it before she put it in the basement. Trying not to laugh hysterically, I advised her that she should pick up a "fresh" bottle.

Yikes! The thought of loosing a shelf of glassware is horrifying! I remember a guy on a wine forum, about 5 or six years ago, had a china hutch built into his new dining room. It had glass shelves behind glass doors for his stemware. He was in the family room and heard what he called "the most lovely tinkling sound" as the shelf collapsed and broke every glass he owned. It makes one's head spin to think of it

I think that all depends upon the handling of the glasses. I have used Riedel, exclusively, for almost 10 years. In that time, I have only broken 5 glasses (now watch, I will have jinxed myself ).

Soap can be an enemy in a wine glass. Especially if the glass contains lead. Lead crytal actually has small, microscopic ridges and valley that lend to the performance of the glass. Soap can get into the ridges and valleys and slightly impair their performance. Also, many people still store glassware stem up in cupboard or in cabinets. The smell from the wood (as well as shelf liner) will transfer to the glass. When I wash my glasses, I use a soft glass washing sponge on the outside of the glass with a little dish soap on the outside. Then I air dry them on a "mat" that I bought from Wine Enthusiast several years ago. I am guilty of washing my "O"s in the dishwasher, so they do get a soap treatment, although they do not contain lead.

Actually, there are several different levels with Riedel. The Sommeliers are handblown, lead crystal. I have a few pieces. They are definately beautiful and definately not for your clumsy guests. The Vinum line is machine-made, yet contains 24% lead. The Ouverture line as well as the stemless "O"'s are made from potash and do not contain lead. Potash can take the heat of a dishwasher, where lead crystal doesn't appreciate the heat at all. I actually love the "O"'s. I use them alot as they are easy to clean. Some people do not like the fact that there is not a stem, they are afraid that the wine will heat up by being held. It will, but only slightly, unless you are at an event where you cannot put the glass down and hold it for an extended period of time. Not sure if this has been discussed (I'm new to the forum)....Riedel bought Speiglau recently. They will continue to be run as two separate companies. Have any of you attended a Riedel "Glass Tasting"? They are fun and showcase why there are different shapes for different varietals.