Champagne Flutes

[johnjohn]

I would like to buy two quality champagne flutes for a friend. She drinks Bellinis everytime we go out, but has never made them at home. What qualities should I look for when making my selection. Are there any name brands that are considered better than others? How much should I pay - can I buy two for between 50 and 75 dollars? Thanks.

[TallDrinkOfWater]

I would like to buy two quality champagne flutes for a friend.  She drinks Bellinis everytime we go out, but has never made them at home.  What qualities should I look for when making my selection.  Are there any name brands that are considered better than others?  How much should I pay - can I buy two for between 50 and 75 dollars?  Thanks.

I'm personally very fond of Riedel's "Vinum" line of champagne glasses. You can buy two of them for $34 right now... (note that they make several other styles; this one happens to be my favorite for champagne, even though I prefer the "Vinum Extreme" for wine glasses).

In general, you [probably] want lead crystal, not glass -- many manufacturers make both, so make sure you know what you're ordering. Well-known high-end makers of crystal drinkware include Riedel (rhymes with "needle"), Schott-Zwiesel, Spiegelau (now owned by Riedel), and Stölzle, though there are plenty of others. If you want crystal but prefer to stay away from the lead, several make alternatives; Schott-Zwiesel uses titanium in theirs, for instance.

[Darren72]

I've been very happy with the Spiegelau set of 6 that I bought on Amazon. Interestingly, they were $35 when I bought them in January, now they are $45. There is free shipping.

I picked these because they were not expensive and I read that a number of higher end restaurants use them because they are slightly more durable than other brands, yet still elegant. I also figured that it would be better to spend more money on fine Bordeaux or Burgundy glasses, but "mid range" Champagne glasses were likely to be fine. I'd say this is especially true if you are making Bellinis.

http://www.amazon.com/Spiegelau-Vino-Grand...8496116?ie=UTF8

Friends have also bought these and in none of our experiences did we have any glasses broken upon shipment, or have any deformed glasses (as some Amazon buyers claimed).

[Darren72]

I'm personally very fond of Riedel's "Vinum" line of champagne glasses. You can buy two of them for $34 right now...  (note that they make several other styles; this one happens to be my favorite for champagne, even though I prefer the "Vinum Extreme" for wine glasses).

I'm just curious about the differences between the Vinum line and the Vinum Extreme line. They are both machine made and are roughly similar in price. The Extreme line seems to have more of a "bowed out" shaped. Is this just an asthetic difference, or is there also a functional difference? Are some wines better suited to one line, and other wines to the other glass line?

Thanks!

[russ parsons]

i've got some riedel vinums and they're ok. i've got lots of spiegelau wine glasses (not flutes, though), and i think you'd have to be a pretty discerning consumer of crystal to tell the difference. and considering the price difference (and breakage: i'm very careful, but i think i've got about a 15% breakage rate when washing), i would definitely go with the cheaper glasses.

edit to add: I have also used riedel sommelier flutes and if i ever make a billion or so dollars, that's what i'm buying. they are exquisite.

Edited July 21, 2006 by russ parsons (log)

[TallDrinkOfWater]

I'm personally very fond of Riedel's "Vinum" line of champagne glasses. You can buy two of them for $34 right now...  (note that they make several other styles; this one happens to be my favorite for champagne, even though I prefer the "Vinum Extreme" for wine glasses).

I'm just curious about the differences between the Vinum line and the Vinum Extreme line. They are both machine made and are roughly similar in price. The Extreme line seems to have more of a "bowed out" shaped. Is this just an asthetic difference, or is there also a functional difference? Are some wines better suited to one line, and other wines to the other glass line?

Thanks!

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The difference, for me, is entirely aesthetic. For the flutes, I refer the classic simplicity of the Vinum shape. For the other wine glasses, I like the more-modern "flair" of the Vinum Extreme line. (I also just bought 4 of the Vinum Extreme martini glasses, which are gorgeous and more interesting, to me, than the standard V-shapes).

Yes, the Sommeliers line is really nice (and hand-blown), though interestingly the Vintage Champagne glass in that line is an almost identical shape to that of the Champagne glass in the Vinum line.

I think we've only lost one glass ever to shipping from Amazon (and they quickly replaced it); losses during hand-washing have been much higher. Household rule now is never to wash glasses the night we've been drinking from them!

[markk]

i've got lots of spiegelau wine glasses (not flutes, though), and i think you'd have to be a pretty discerning consumer of crystal to tell the difference.

I wholeheartedly second the notion! The Spiegelau are great; I have a bunch of each, and when I set my table with many per person, which I do for fun lots of times, it looks like a million bucks, or so I'm told.

Plus they are great glasses, and you don't feel bad when they break, which all wine glasses seem to do! (Of course now that I look, there are no flutes in that photo, but the flutes are great as well.)