Technically brilliant and supremely stylish.
Established in Bohemia in 1756, Riedel is the world’s leading manufacturer of premium glassware and decanters. Currently headed by Georg and Maximilian Riedel, the 10th and 11th generation of Riedel glassmakers, the company continues to set the global benchmark for both technical innovation and design.
Get more from your wine
To quote Georg J. Riedel, “A day without a glass of wine is like a day without sunshine,” and for those who adore the hedonistic pleasures of vitis vinifera, the common grape, he is of course, right on the money.
But to many the gratification gained from drinking wine is more than simply quaffing a hearty red over a steak dinner or toasting with a glass of Champagne, it is about exploring the nuances that make an Australian Shiraz different from a French Pinot Noir and a world away from a Californian Zinfandel.
In short, drinking and savouring good wine is a lifestyle experience and one that can be significantly enhanced by decanting the wine properly and drinking it from right shape and size of glass.
Why is the glass so important? Well because a good wine will display different characteristics when served across a variety of glasses. The bouquet, texture, flavour and the finish can all change significantly. In other words, to get the best out of your wine it pays to drink it from the most suitable glass.
The science behind glass pairing is based upon the relationship between the characteristics of the wine and the shape and size of the glass and how the wine is presented to the mouth. The fruit, acidity, tannin and alcohol are the key factors in developing a wine’s characteristics and they are tied to grape variety.
Based on this relationship Riedel, supported by some of the world’s most renowned palates, developed beautiful and elegant glasses designed to enhance specific grape varieties by carefully managing the speed and place the wine is delivered.
Created for restaurants, wine bars, hotels or home use, the gorgeous Riedel designs include handmade series like the original Sommeliers glassware, the Superleggero series and the Fatto a Mano series.
Fatto a Mano
The Riedel Fatto a Mano Series was introduced in 2017 and takes elegant hand-blown glasses designed to enhance the enjoyment of fine wines to the next aesthetic level. They are lead-free, dishwasher-proof and feature a choice of white, black, yellow, red, green, pink or blue coloured stems, with a special edition having twisted black and white stems.
The standard series is available in six different sizes, while the special black and white collection is larger and features Bordeaux Grand Cru, Burgundy Grand Cru, Cabernet/Merlot, Old World Syrah, Old World Pinot Noir, Oaked Chardonnay, Riesling/Zinfandel and the Champagne wine glass which, Riedel suggests, offers even greater access to the entire spectrum of Champagne flavours than a traditional flute.
The art of decanting
The Riedel decanter range is extensive ranging from simple varietal specifics to the extraordinarily complex, with striking double-decanting shapes like the Riedel Mamba and the Riedel Horn designed to be both beautiful and accelerate the aeration of the wine.
There are three main reasons to decant, starting with the obvious aesthetic appeal of serving wine from a beautiful vessel.
In a young wine decanting increases aeration, which reduces the amount of carbon dioxide and allows the wine to fully develop and express its flavour and nose. For older wines the same is true, while at the same time separating the wine from any sediment.
When decanting young wines, pour quickly for maximum aeration. The opposite is true with old wine, pour as slowly as possible to ensure the sediment stays in the bottle.
Riedel
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