You might already know by now that I am a bit of a wine enthusiast. Our glassware collection mainly consists of Iittala Essence, Villeroy & Boch and Waterford Crystal but at the moment Riedel is my absolute favourite. My biggest pet peeve has got to be coloured wine glasses. They are great for entertaining purposes but if I am enjoying a glass of wine I want to be able to appreciate the colour of the wine as well.
I recently discovered the Vitis range from Riedel and I was immediately blown away. There is something special about these diamond shaped glasses. I have a cabinet full of wine glasses but I felt that this particular design style had been missing from our collection. The glasses seem to be designed to perfection and are actually very practical compared to other wine glasses I own. The photos don’t do justice as they look even better in real life.
Riedel Vitis (means ‘vine’ in Latin) is a varietal specific glass that is designed specifically for sparkling wine and has been manufactured using Riedel’s latest machine-blown technology. I love the seamless stem and the architecture design feature that reflects light from the bottom of the bowl. The flute feels fine and delicate but well-balanced at the same time. Vitis range is made of lead-crystal but Riedel also makes lead-free glasses (which are much cheaper obviously).
If you are a wine connoisseur, you might be already familiar with this fine glassware company. Riedel, established in 1756, is an Austrian family owned business and all the glassware is manufactured in their own factories in Austria and Germany. Many top-rated restaurants use Riedel thanks to their beautiful design and durability. In fact, many people say that Riedel wine glasses are the best wine glasses ever made!
But, what really makes Riedel special in my eyes is the amount of research and effort they put into their designs. They have different glass styles designed to enhance different types of wines. Unfortunately, I am not a wine expert so I cannot speak from my personal experience. But, there is a lot of evidence that shows how the choice of glass can actually make a difference. It doesn’t really alter the taste but can enhance the wine according to research. You can read more about it here.
So, how much should one spend on a wine glass then? According to Riedel, you should plan to invest as much as you would spend on an average bottle of wine. I think that is pretty good advice although it also depends on how often you drink wine in my opinion. Not all Riedel glasses are expensive either. A good example of this is their Ouverture range which is an entry-level series for enjoying reasonably priced wine. There are also plenty of online stores that have promotions when you buy 6 or more glasses which is great.
We have been using our Riedel Vitis glasses for a few months now and I have been very happy with them. They are my favourite glasses at the moment and I am considering adding their Riesling glasses to our collection in the future. Even though, Riedel states that the glasses are dishwasher safe, I personally prefer to hand wash anything made of lead-crystal as the glasses can get cloudy (which is very difficult to fix).
I find these champagne glasses beautiful and the thin long stem makes them even more impressive. Vitis is Riedels tallest collection to date but you are not supposed to fill the glasses all the way up to the top (apparently it helps to keep the bubbles). With New Year’s celebration in mind, I don’t think you can go wrong with these wine glasses. They are elegant and timeless and you can get other varietal specific glasses to match if you wish. At the moment they are -20% off at The Riedel Shop which is a fantastic offer!
For more information visit www.riedel.com
