Tired of replacing glassware?

[LMB]

Interestingly enough - apparently not all glassware breaks anymore. This story, posted in the news section on Decanter.com, caught my eye:

'Unbreakable' glass launched - Decanter.com

"The makers claim it is the most important revolution in glass since automated lead crystal production....Kwarx glass is handblown crystal and is supposed to retain lustre and transparency as well as being unbreakable."

It will be interesting to see who follows suit and will use this new material in production.

[SBonner]

Sounds interesting...beats having to keep buying Riedel's everytime I break one I have never heard of the material before.

Stephen Bonner

Vancouver

[MissAmy]

That's a great thing. Maybe it will enable me to stop buying my wine glasses at the Dollar Store.

[Saara]

"Unlike Riedel, Mikasa has developed just six glasses to accommodate all the world's different wine styles."

If they'd only make them nesting or have the stems screw off, I could get some for the boat and camping. Might have to sacrifice the space and get them anyway.

[LMB]

Last May (2005) Riedel introduced "The Extreme Restaurant Glass". Although it is not made of the new material featured in the Mikasa line it is a more hardy glass than Riedel's typical stemware (i.e. thicker stems). What I find most interesting is that they developed a new glass style to suit restaurants by creating diamond shaped bowls that angle out widely then narrow around the mouth. Riedel says "The exceptionally wide evaporation surface of Extreme Restaurant intensifies and enhances silkiness in the mouth of New World wines, balancing the intensity and quality of their flavors."

In Decanter.com's Mikasa story it says each glass has an angled bowl as well "The major change in wine in the last 20 years is that we don't cellar any more. Winemaking has adjusted, so Mikasa has adjusted the shape."

I know Mikasa does not have the same appeal as Riedel. However, by coupling unbreakable glassware technology and this new shape that seems to fit the restaurant biz - could Mikasa take away some of Riedel's restaurant market share?

[LMB]

"Unlike Riedel, Mikasa has developed just six glasses to accommodate all the world's different wine styles." 

Even Riedel showed some restraint in developing their "Extreme Restaurant Glass" series ...they only have four wine glasses in the set! How will I know what to drink my obscure Austrian varietal in?!

[KatieLoeb]

Last May (2005) Riedel introduced "The Extreme Restaurant Glass".  Although it is not made of the new material featured in the Mikasa line it is a more hardy glass than Riedel's typical stemware (i.e. thicker stems).  What I find most interesting is that they developed a new glass style to suit restaurants by creating diamond shaped bowls that angle out widely then narrow around the mouth.  Riedel says "The exceptionally wide evaporation surface of Extreme Restaurant intensifies and enhances silkiness in the mouth of New World wines, balancing the intensity and quality of their flavors."

In Decanter.com's Mikasa story it says each glass has an angled bowl as well "The major change in wine in the last 20 years is that we don't cellar any more. Winemaking has adjusted, so Mikasa has adjusted the shape."

I know Mikasa does not have the same appeal as Riedel.  However, by coupling unbreakable glassware technology and this new shape that seems to fit the restaurant biz - could Mikasa take away some of Riedel's restaurant market share?

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I've used the Riedel Restaurant series before (in fact they're what I use at home) and while not unbreakable, they can stand up to a bit more commercial level abuse than the standard Spiegelau, Schott-Zwiesel or regular Riedel series glassware that breaks if you look at it crosseyed from across the room.

I've already e-mailed Mikasa inquiring where to locate a sample of their unbreakable glassware. So the answer is yes, definitely they might take away some business from Riedel, especially if the claims of non-breakage prove to be true.

[Richard Kilgore]

I have seen..and whacked the new Schott Zwiesel glasses, using titanium and zirconium instead of lead. Whacked it on the bowl and whacked it on the rim. Wow! At least two ranges as far as I can tell -- the classico at about $7.50 per stem and the Top Ten at about $15 per stem. Schott Zwiesel

Is anyone using these?

[E. M. Pashman]

.

Edited May 23, 2017 by E. M. Pashman (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I finally heard back from the Mikasa folks. The Kwarx unbreakable "Open Up" series won't be available until 2007.

[Richard Kilgore]

I have seen..and whacked the new Schott Zwiesel glasses, using titanium and zirconium instead of lead. Whacked it on the bowl and whacked it on the rim. Wow! At least two ranges as far as I can tell -- the classico at about $7.50 per stem and the Top Ten at about $15 per stem. Schott Zwiesel

Is anyone using these?

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Correction - in this area the classico range runs $10 US, the Top Ten about $14.50 US and the Diva range in between those at about $13 US. The dealer said the company sees the Diva as likely to be their best seller, but the stems I saw in that range are tall, top-heavy empty, and with huge capacities...up to 29 ounces!

[Richard Kilgore]

And more on the unbreakable wine glass front.

Wine Enthusiast offers the Fusion line, using magnesium instead of lead.

[Marc Olson]

After years of using (and breaking) Riedel stems (both the Vinum and the Sommelier) I received some Schott Zweisel champagne stems as a gift. I then bought the Enoteca Chianti as an alternative to the Riedel Hermitage glass that's my favorite. Looks and performs very similarly, and has survived everything except a 4' fall when the box fell (only broke one stem in the box...).

I buy them here: http://www.brentwoodwine.com/schott_enoteca_red.html

[GourmetLight$]

I finally heard back from the Mikasa folks.  The Kwarx unbreakable "Open Up" series won't be available until 2007. 

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Apparently it will be earlier than originally expected. I received an email from them saying they'll be available this month. Unfortunately, when I called the Customer Service # they provided, she said they've already sold out their initial supply of over 2,700 glasses in each style. She suggested checking back in a few weeks at 866.645.2721. Pictures/prices are available in their new catalog (but couldn't view online as of today) at www.mikasa.com.

Cheers!

[KatieLoeb]

I finally heard back from the Mikasa folks.  The Kwarx unbreakable "Open Up" series won't be available until 2007. 

←

Apparently it will be earlier than originally expected. I received an email from them saying they'll be available this month. Unfortunately, when I called the Customer Service # they provided, she said they've already sold out their initial supply of over 2,700 glasses in each style. She suggested checking back in a few weeks at 866.645.2721. Pictures/prices are available in their new catalog (but couldn't view online as of today) at www.mikasa.com.

Cheers!

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Carolyn:

Thanks for the info!! It's funny, I was just talking about this glassware earlier today with someone, after not giving it a thought for several months. It's as if you're clairvoyant!

[GourmetLight$]

They're available! I just ordered one set to try them out, but if they're as nice as I hope, I see several add'l sets in my future. At $39.99/four, I think they're pretty fairly priced if they are as "break resistant" as they say.

clicky

Cheers,

[jackal10]

But do they cloud in the dishwasher?

[GourmetLight$]

But do they cloud in the dishwasher?

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The link in my post says they hold up to 2,000 dishwasher cycles.

Cheers,

[GourmetLight$]

They're here and they're absolutely awesome! Very thin lip. Nice weight. Love the swirl factor. Gorgeous, clear crystal. I'm ordering more of the "Tannic" and at least 8 of the "Universal Tasting" glasses, and 8 of the "Effervescent." I'm very pleased with my purchase!

Cheers,

[KatieLoeb]

   

They're here and they're absolutely awesome!  Very thin lip.  Nice weight.  Love the swirl factor.  Gorgeous, clear crystal.  I'm ordering more of the "Tannic" and at least 8 of the "Universal Tasting" glasses, and 8 of the "Effervescent."  I'm very pleased with my purchase!

Cheers,

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Have you bashed them around yet?? I mean really drummed them on the table or dropped them from counter height? That's the real test. If you tell me that they survive that I'm buying a set immediately!

[GourmetLight$]

   

They're here and they're absolutely awesome!  Very thin lip.  Nice weight.  Love the swirl factor.  Gorgeous, clear crystal.  I'm ordering more of the "Tannic" and at least 8 of the "Universal Tasting" glasses, and 8 of the "Effervescent."  I'm very pleased with my purchase!

Cheers,

←

Have you bashed them around yet?? I mean really drummed them on the table or dropped them from counter height? That's the real test. If you tell me that they survive that I'm buying a set immediately!

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I haven't purposefully "bashed" them, but as I was washing them, I knocked one over in the sink and it didn't break!

[KatieLoeb]

   

They're here and they're absolutely awesome!  Very thin lip.  Nice weight.  Love the swirl factor.  Gorgeous, clear crystal.  I'm ordering more of the "Tannic" and at least 8 of the "Universal Tasting" glasses, and 8 of the "Effervescent."  I'm very pleased with my purchase!

Cheers,

←

Have you bashed them around yet?? I mean really drummed them on the table or dropped them from counter height? That's the real test. If you tell me that they survive that I'm buying a set immediately!

←

I haven't purposefully "bashed" them, but as I was washing them, I knocked one over in the sink and it didn't break!

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You see. That's the difference between break resistant (like the Riedel Restaurant series or the Schott-Zwiesel Triton crystal stemware) and unbreakable (as these claim to be). Merely knocking it over doesn't mean it's unbreakable. I want to see what happens when it falls off the counter from five feet up.

Fear not. I'll be asking my local sales rep for samples of these glasses so I can bash away at them myself.

[doviakw]

You see. That's the difference between break resistant (like the Riedel Restaurant series or the Schott-Zwiesel Triton crystal stemware) and unbreakable (as these claim to be).  Merely knocking it over doesn't mean it's unbreakable.  I want to see what happens when it falls off the counter from five feet up.

Fear not.  I'll be asking my local sales rep for samples of these glasses so I can bash away at them myself. 

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From the Mikasa web site:

"The OPEN UP collection comes in six styles, all featuring this distinctive shape. Made of KWARX, our exclusive, patented new material, each glass is break resistant [my emphasis], as clear as crystal, lead-free, and stands up to 2,000 dishwasher cycles."

[Edited to add Mikasa Web site reference.]

Edited September 20, 2006 by doviakw (log)

[mrbigjas]

You see. That's the difference between break resistant (like the Riedel Restaurant series or the Schott-Zwiesel Triton crystal stemware) and unbreakable (as these claim to be).  Merely knocking it over doesn't mean it's unbreakable.  I want to see what happens when it falls off the counter from five feet up.

i finally broke one of those riedel restaurant series glasses. it fell from table height, hit the edge of the table as it tipped so it was spinning pretty good, and broke on the floor. however, i knocked another one from coffee table height onto the floor, and it remained intact. so i guess the breakage threshhold is somewhere between 18 inches and 3 feet...

[waves2ya]

Are these new Mikasa glasses kind of flat/square-ish as base of glasses retreats to stem...

Open Up - Universal

Or is that just a webpage/photo effect?