Riedel wine glasses?

[jgould]

do not want to buy another grouping of wine glasses (have too many already), but bought into the riedel hype & attempting to limit the selection; therefore,

recently purchased the vinum bordeaux (21 1/2 oz) to use for ALL reds, & the red burgundy (24 3/4 oz) to use for pinot noirs & ALL whites. both purchased on recommendations by wine people, i.e., wine glasses should be a MINIMUM of 20 oz.

however re: whites in general: due to the subtlely of whites' aromas, supposedly one should use a smaller glass to take advantage of a white's bouquet, etc.

and others claim the "correct" pour is ~ 5oz, which should equal ~ 1/3 of the wine glass, for snifting & swirling, which obviously equals ~ a 15 oz wine glass!!!

when using the red burgundy, "seems" to big for whites (?)

the question(s) or any other comments:

stick with the bordeaux & red burgundy as per the professionals' recommendation?

purchase riedel's vinum chianti classico/riesling grand cru/zinfandel (13 oz) for the whites?

[Brad Ballinger]

It all depends on whether or not you personally can appreciate a particular wine more out of one glass v. another glass. Period. If the differneces are nominal or non-existent, then it really doesn't matter.

And only you can answer that question for yourself.

[melkor]

I really like the riedel riesling/zinfandel glasses as a generic white glass.

[dlc]

Although I own both the Bordeaux and Burgundy in the Vinum series, I use the Chianti for an all purpose glass for both reds and whites. I tend to use the bigger glasses with either very young (lots of aeration) or very old wines. At very large tastings we have done, we have used the Chianti for both reds and whites when doing multiple flights either as verticals or horizontals.

[jgould]

It all depends on whether or not you personally can appreciate a particular wine more out of one glass v. another glass. Period. If the differneces are nominal or non-existent, then it really doesn't matter.

And only you can answer that question for yourself.

that's true; however, with all the riedel hype & with the mind-boggling number of different glasses for different wines they offer, i'm not sure a mere mortal could do what you are suggesting.

i, for one, love & appreciate wine, & have been curious as to the effect of a wine glass's particular shape & size to maximize one's enjoyment; therefore, my topic.

if you are suggesting, the difference between glasses is either nominal or non-existent, then one only needs one glass. the problem is "so many wines, so many glasses" it would be impoosible to perform enough taste tests AND remember how each tasted relative to the glass. therefore, it was my intent to query a knowledgeable wine forum, such as this, to receive comments about what glass for what wine.

[Brad Ballinger]

I completely understand what you are saying. Please don't get me wrong. And Georg Riedel and his devotees have designed all those glass sizes not only for aeration and bouquet enhancement, but also for where the glass first deposts wine on the tongue. I'm not suggesting the difference is nominal. I am suggesting, however, that the difference is personal.

Try your white wine in both a Burgundy stem (your current white wine default) and a smaller stem. If there's an appreciable difference to you then you've justified whatever decision you make. If there's virtually no difference, then you've maybe saved some money. You don't have to try every single Riedel stem manufactured, just the two you're wondering about - Burgundy v. something smaller.

Yes, it's fine to defer to "experts" from time to time. But just like an expert can't tell you what wine you should or shouldn't like (but you can use an expert's palate as a calibration point for you), they can't tell you what glass you should or should not be drinking what wine from.

[jgould]

thanks very much. of course, now i will have to buy the riedel vinum chianti classico/riesling grand cru/zinfandel 13 oz glass so as to be able to make the comparison between my vinum red burgundy

[agnolottigirl]

Visiting the Mondavi winery in Napa, we overheard one of the tasting guides telling someone that they had the paterfamilias Riedel there for a tasting and were pressing him for the glass he'd use if he were limited to a single shape. Supposedly he said the chianti was the one he'd recommend--though of course he went on to say that you really do need them all. . . if you're serious. . . etc.

[jgould]

" ... paterfamilias Riedel there for a tasting and were pressing him for the glass he'd use if he were limited to a single shape. Supposedly he said the chianti was the one he'd recommend ..."

thx for passing along.

interestingly, i have read georg riedel's answer to the same question a number of years ago - his answer then was "his vinum chardonnay" which holds 12 3/8 oz vs the chianti's 13 oz.

Edited February 7, 2004 by jgould (log)

[Brad Ballinger]

thanks very much. of course, now i will have to buy the riedel vinum chianti classico/riesling grand cru/zinfandel 13 oz glass so as to be able to make the comparison between my vinum red burgundy

Or ask to borrow one from someone you know.

[=Mark]

And Georg Riedel and his devotees have designed all those glass sizes not only for aeration and bouquet enhancement, but also for where the glass first deposts wine on the tongue.

I can pretty much imagine why Georg Riedel designed all those glasses, if you can convince all the wine wonks that every bottle of wine needs a separate glass then the folks selling the glasses are going to make some serious $$$. You'll convince me that all these different glasses seriously effect the flavor of wine and where it is deposited on the tongue when you can show me that everyones mouth is shaped and sized identically. I find it interesting that a large percentage of wine enthusiasts in Eurupe dring it out of 8 oz. tumblers.

[jgould]

I can pretty much imagine why Georg Riedel designed all those glasses, if you can convince all the wine wonks that every bottle of wine needs a separate glass then the folks selling the glasses are going to make some serious $$$. You'll convince me that all these different glasses seriously effect the flavor of wine and where it is deposited on the tongue when you can show me that everyones mouth is shaped and sized identically. I find it interesting that a large percentage of wine enthusiasts in Eurupe dring it out of 8 oz. tumblers.

of course u conveniently left out the fact most europeans drink "plonk", so whatever they drink it out of, is an improvement.

[winesonoma]

For everyday I prefer the Riedel Basic Red Wine; it fits in the dishwasher, and seems to work ok. Six dollar Sonoma wine during the week.

[episyd]

Go with the chianti for whites - the vinnum burgundy glass is much too big for aromatic whites - but agree its wonderful for pinots

Cheers

PaulV

[jgould]

Go with the chianti for whites - the vinnum burgundy glass is much too big for aromatic whites - but agree its wonderful for pinots

Cheers

PaulV

thx for ALL the wonderful responses. plan on purchasing the riedel vinum chianti for "most" whites, & continue to use the red burgundy for the montrachet crowd.

egullet rocks with information, knowledgeable & helpful members (in a good way)

[jgould]

Go with the chianti for whites - the vinnum burgundy glass is much too big for aromatic whites - but agree its wonderful for pinots

Cheers

PaulV

thx for ALL the wonderful responses. plan on purchasing the riedel vinum chianti for "most" whites, & continue to use the red burgundy for the montrachet crowd.

egullet rocks with information, knowledgeable & helpful members (in a good way)

actually, i may have a better solution: buy only white burgundies!!!

[Rieslingfan]

Surprise, the Riedel Vinum Burg stem is my favorite for full-bodied trocken Rieslings (e.g. Austrian & some newer style Germans). It really lets the wines blossom.

I did a test in September with the Brug stem and a Chianti/Riesling stem & a '02 Leitz Spatlese Trocken (14% alc. big boy) was much better (richer) out of the Burg stem.

[jgould]

Surprise, the Riedel Vinum Burg stem is my favorite for full-bodied trocken Rieslings (e.g. Austrian & some newer style Germans). It really lets the wines blossom.

I did a test in September with the Brug stem and a Chianti/Riesling stem & a '02 Leitz Spatlese Trocken (14% alc. big boy) was much better (richer) out of the Burg stem.

very cool, thx so much for the info. maybe i should just try a few more whites in the riedel vinum red burgundy stem before going out & purchasing the vinum chianti/riesling. the evidence, as usual, is "in the eye of the beholder"; the responses here have been fabulous & educational.

whether a white is "better" out of a smaller glass, i.e., the chianti/riesling 13 oz for bouquet concentration - or - the larger red burgundy 24 3/4 oz for bouquet concentation/development/swirling space remains somewhat of a question mark with respect to so many professional opinions/observations.

thx again!!

[jgould]

Surprise, the Riedel Vinum Burg stem is my favorite for full-bodied trocken Rieslings (e.g. Austrian & some newer style Germans). It really lets the wines blossom.

I did a test in September with the Brug stem and a Chianti/Riesling stem & a '02 Leitz Spatlese Trocken (14% alc. big boy) was much better (richer) out of the Burg stem.

very cool, thx so much for the info. maybe i should just try a few more whites in the riedel vinum red burgundy stem before going out & purchasing the vinum chianti/riesling grand cru/zinfandel. the evidence, as usual, is "in the eye of the beholder"; the responses here have been fabulous & educational.

whether a white is "better" out of a smaller glass, i.e., the chianti/riesling 13 oz for bouquet concentration - or - the larger red burgundy 24 3/4 oz for bouquet concentation/development/swirling space remains somewhat of a question mark with respect to so many professional opinions/observations.

thx again!!

holy cow!!! stopped into a very reputable wine store yesterday & had a wonderful conversation with a wine saleman who was both knowledgeable about wine & riedel. in his opinion, riedel's engineering is very well thought out & uses careful analysis to design each glass.

naturally, i pounced on this opportunity to ask re: my question about the vinum bx, red burg & the chianti. his response (& this is shortened), & assuming i am trying to have as few glasses as possible, was the bx for reds, the red burg for pinot noirs, & the chardonnay for the whites!!!! he had tried the chianti, as some had suggested, but found the glass was not suitable because they closed down the whites!! & while admitting the chardonnay was a little on the small side, he explained the shape vis-a-vis the chianti, etc, etc., & that riedel had taken this into consideration. in other words, riedel's shapes are not willy-nilly, but THOUGHT ABOUT before designing.

the red burgundy for whites, also was not shaped for whites, although "possibly" for use with the best whites, i.e., montrachet.

it was interesting to be able to view 1sthand all the glasses together to compare & contrast. he even explained why their specific for some type sake glass was exquisitely designed for maximum enjoyment.

[jgould]

ok, final follow-up: i ended up buying the chardonnay as per the above

good salesman, good knowledge - satisfied customer!

now, what do i do when have a puligny monchachet????