“Diners select eateries for the enjoyment factor,” expressed Maximilian Riedel, a glass artisan with an extensive lineage, now serving as CEO and President of Riedel. At a recent enlightening Riedel wine goblet tasting session held at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, attended by over 100 wine enthusiasts and professionals, he enthused, “A Riedel goblet transforms wine sipping into a festivity.”
Esteemed dining establishments and vineyards worldwide opt for Riedel glassware to heighten the drinking experience.
This family-operated producer of glassware for wines, spirits, and decanters originated in 1756, crafting goblets for ecclesiastical and royal patrons. In the 1950s, Maximilian’s grandfather introduced varietal-specific stemware for wine connoisseurs, sommeliers, hospitality experts, and consumers globally. His aim was to fashion high-end wine-friendly stemware that offers a delightful fragrance, flavor, equilibrium, and finish with each sip. “Our goblets direct the wine across your taste buds. They operate as a conduit conveying a narrative to all your senses,” elucidated Maximilian Riedel.
The sophisticated technology behind the creation of RIEDEL VELOCE is employed at the Riedel factory in Weiden, Germany. The goblets are produced via highly advanced mechanical manufacturing to craft an exquisite and practical receptacle. “The dimensions and form of a goblet per wine varietal bring forth the aroma foremost,” highlighted Maximilian Riedel. “Devoid of the correct sized goblet, one might detect an overpowering essence of alcohol, bitterness, and acidity.”
Goblets consist of three components: the bowl, the stem, and the base. The design of the glass centers on the stem’s height and the base’s width.
New to the lineup in 2023 is Riedel Superleggero Restaurant glassware, designed to elevate the fine dining gastronomic affair at eateries. In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Sommeliers, Riedel unveils a novel premium machine-blown wine goblet. ‘Present-day youth are disinclined to engage in manual glassmaking, hence we adapted by utilizing machinery for our glassware production,’ noted Riedel.
The dimensions and shape significantly influence the wine-drinking experience using a goblet. Riedel offers a goblet with a diamond-shaped bowl that dramatically widens before tapering at the apex. This configuration creates an extraordinarily broad surface that enhances and amplifies the wine’s silkiness on the palate. Their goblets accentuate the fruit-forward essence of New World wines.
The precision of machine-crafted glass vis-à-vis handblown ones is apparent in the rim girth and bowl structure. Riedel is lauded for its delicate and slender goblets with an ample bowl. They are the exclusive producer of the broadest base diameter ever produced via mechanical means.
The new assembly features 8 distinct varietal wine goblets. The smallest is suitable for Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc goblet is slightly taller than the Riesling one. Subsequently, there are the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and generous-bowl Cabernet goblets.
Riedel wine goblets cater to wine enthusiasts and novices alike, unleashing four distinct experiences. It commences with the aroma of the grape varietal. When poured into the designated varietal glassware, it delivers heightened richness and intensity of the wine’s scent.
The texture of the grape varietal should enthuse the palate. The right goblet offers a sensation of creaminess, silkiness, watery consistency, or velvety smoothness. There should be a harmonious interplay of the fruit, minerality, acidity, and bitter nuances of a wine. Lastly, the finish should be satisfying, harmonious, and yield a lingering aftertaste that induces a grin.
Riedel contends that all wines – young and aged, white and red, even sparkling varieties – can benefit from decanting, lifting the beverage from the bottle into a decanter. Riedel produces 8 unique decanters to grant wine the opportunity to thrive and reach a stage of maturity that typically necessitates years of cellaring. ‘We offer elegant, intricate handmade designs,’ affirmed Riedel.
Each of their decanters serves as an artistic creation. The Ultra decanter epitomizes elegance, while the Mamba decanter is strikingly bold, resembling a glass iteration of the cobra snake. ‘Decanting a wine allows the aromas to flourish,’ highlighted Riedel. ‘It enhances the fruitiness and refines the texture.’
Decanting aged wines facilitates the separation of any sediments that may have accrued over time, and imbibing the wine from a Riedel goblet heightens one’s culinary senses and experiences.
