Re: Riedel vs. Spigelau vs. Other-stemware --- Somewhat long

Sorry, since we didn't have a comparative glass I didn't add this one. All

gary

Unless done blindly, I am not sure you can even begin to trust the results.

Riedel stemware is very appearing. It's mere appearance likely colors the perception of taste.

Please try the experiment blindly to see what happens next time.

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Leo Bueno wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Leo,

what you wrote makes sense specially if you just want to determine which is the best glass for your wine in the olfative or gustative steps. However, since appreciation of the wine in the glass is also part of the joy of wine, considering its appearance makes sense IMHO.

More interesting would be to select unbiased tasters (for example, people that do not have strong preferences or dislikes for any particular brand of stemware).

Also, if definitive results are to be obtained, a variety of samples of wine should be taking into consideration, and not only a single bottle.

Best,

S. btw, I love my Schott Zwiesel Top Ten Champagne glass. Beautiful with complex Champagne since it provides a little more space for aireation. And very nicely priced at about 10 euros each.

Gary,

Thank you for the information. When it comes to glassware, getting a "double- blind" test might be a bit difficult. It also might be messy, especially if the one pouring the wine is blindfolded, as well .

As to one's preference for a particular stem, unless they know the exact shape of the glass (man, they would have to good, as Riedel alone does so many), the only clue would be to read the small etched logo on the base of the glasses. When confronted with nice glassware and wine, I almost never do that.

As for the Montrachet/Chard glass, it would have been interesting to also do the pours into a more "conventionally" shaped/sized Chard glass. It was such a taste-test that sold me on the Montrachet glass.

Again, thank you for taking the time to first do the experiment and then for reporting it. While it might have some scientific flaws, it is very interesting, none the less.

Hunt

As indicated, this was a follow-on to a thread several weeks back. It was in that thread that I shared that I have poured and tasted for people who had never even heard of Riedel and gotten very similar results (actually, the results have always been that the Riedel was preferred over a basic stem). The purpose of this tasting was to see if Riedel vs. Spigelau held any value vs. other people's "favorite" glass.

Again, I am not suggesting that anyone glass is better than any other except to the extent that the taster believes it. I personally prefer Riedel.

Cheers! Gary

Thanks for the kind comments Hunt.... it appears that many in this group are anti-Riedel.

To your point about the Montrachet, that would have been a good idea and I'll keep it mind. A couple of folks did in fact try the Sauvignon Blanc since it is similar to the older styled Chardonnay stem but I didn't record any preferences one way or the other. I also found it interesting that Riedel now calls the older style Chardonnay stem the "Young Chardonnay" and the Montrachet stem the "Older Chardonnay" stem...

Do you prefer the Montrachet stem over the "Young Chardonnay" stem? I actually use my Sauvignon Blanc glasses for most whites.... sure makes it easier to keep up with :)

Cheers, Gary

I don't get that sense, Gary. Most people I know here own Riedel glasses, but quite a few of us don't buy into all the marketing hype (quite a different kettle of fish IMO).

One additional thought re tasting the Riedel glasses: it would be informative to me to see how a group did when the wines were poured blind (i.e., they don't know varietal, region, etc.) into several different Riedel glasses. For instance, pour a SB, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Gris blind into four different Riedel white wine glasses and see which they prefer for each wine. Certainly, an experienced taster will be able to make educated guesses about what the wines are, but it adds an extra variable into deciding which glass is preferred for a given wine.

Just a thought... Mark Lipton

We have the Riedel SB glasses (used for SB's and lighter whites), a similar Chard glass, and the Montrachet. For lighter Chards (old world and new) we usually use either the Riedel SB's, or the others. For "Big" new world Chards, and our older old world Chards, I always drag out the Montrachets, always ready to field the question, "hey, how come you are pouring a white into a Burg glass?" I need to do a personal tasting of "main-line" Chards in all glasses, just to see how that goes. At a Riedel tasting with Newton Unfiltered IIRC, the difference between the Riedel SB and the Montrachets sold me immediately. With a big Chard, there was a marked difference, and, as we often do big whites from all over, I felt that I needed these, even with ~48 white glasses in the house. The difference was so pronounced that my wife, who has issued an edict, "no more wine glasses - no way!" urged me to get the Montrachets. At least two people were sold by THAT tasting.

Please keep the group abreast of how your informal tests go. While they may not hold up to the National Academy of Science, they are very interesting.

Hunt

If nothing else, THAT sounds like fun. Heck, getting together with friends and wine is always fun, but when one can just a little something extra it spices up life.

Hunt

The problem is that, as I understand it, Riedel claims that the shape of their glasses not only affect the taste, but that somehow each glass type differentially affects the wines tasted.

In other words, it looks to me like Riedel is making the claim not that their products enhance the overall "experience", but that they are fine-tuned to particular wine styles or varieties.

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We are not anti-Riedel, whose stemware we find to be generally beautiful.

We are anti-bull$hit, irrespective of the source of its manufacture.

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I am no statistician, but it seems to me that this is precisely the test to do.

If Reidel says, for example, that SB tastes better in their SB glass, then there better be more people significantly preferring the SB glass when SB was in that glass.

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I bet Riedel will *not* fund a study to be done to those standards.

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I don't suppose that would be a Ravenscroft, would it?

I recently bought a couple of those in a Burgundy shape. They're similar to one of the Riedels, but much lighter - both in heft and price. It's become my preferred glass for everything vinous.

Tom S

I have two wine glasses that make even the large Riedels appear small on comparison. They are of a classic Burgundy bulb shape. They hold a full magnum full and give you plenty of room to swirl when you fill a glass with a single bottle. I have never used them. They were sort of a joke gift from a lady. Some women were buying these glasses at a hobby supply store and filling them with various things for decoration.

Reply to snipped-for-privacy@cwdjr.net .

Tom, I suppose it could be.... I had never seen anything like it, and it didn't have any identifying marks on it so I really don't have a clue what it was. The person said they had gotten it 5-6 years ago, but couldn't remember where.

Cheers, Gary

Ravenscroft has the name on the foot, just like Riedels, so that's not it. That also leaves out Impitoyables as a possibility.

Tom S

The person said they had gotten it 5-6 years ago, but couldn't