Customer Reviews

Riedel Vinum Syrah/Rhone Wine Glasses, Set of 6

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We currently live in France, a country where wine is etched into the national consciousness. We invited some French friends over to compare Australian and French wines of the same grape varieties (chardonnay, cabernet, merlot), but didn't have enough Riedel glasses to go around. Some of us were consistently rating wines lower - and then we realised that they had the non-Riedel glasses. A quick tour of the table with the same wine in the two types of glass convinced everybody of the merits of this glassware. A TIP ON WASHING: one pain is the need to hand-wash these glasses. A sommelier gave us the tip that to avoid breaking Riedels while washing, do not hold the stem to turn the glass while cleaning it. Hold the whole bowl with one hand, while using a wash cloth with the other.

There aren't any wine glasses out there that I prefer over the Riedel Vinum series (except the Sommelier of course). I do have one observation though, and this is why I didn't give this glass a 5 star rating: the Vinums that I've purchased in the past 5 months don't seem to be up to the same quality standards of the Vinums I purchased a year ago. The "older" Vinum, which has the logo etched in the base, has a better/cleaner cut rim and the bowl seems to be thinner - making the entire glass look, feel and sound more elegant. The "new" Vinum, which has the logo and "riedel" name etched in the base, has a lip which looks slightly rounded in a side-by-side comparison with the "older" glass and the bowl/glass itself seems thicker. Maybe Riedel made some changes to improve durability, but I like my old Riedels better. All in all, as I said at the beginning of this review, there is nothing better out there than the Riedel Vinum series (as long as you don't pay full retail)....

I rushed right out and got a set of Riedel Syrah Vinum series stemware after being served wine in them at a restaurant. I simply hadn't been convinced by the press or seeing them in stores. But having used them for a month, I can say that they've made a world of difference in my enjoyment.

Oenophiles (like me) will tell you that the choice of glass will determine how your wine is aerated based on how much surface area is exposed, and how the escaping fumes are concentrated, based on size and shape of bowl above the level of a filled glass. This does wonders for balancing fruit and acidity, especially on the nose. You might want a bunch of Riedel stemware to match with your wine if you are no longer challenged by food pairings.

In addition to taste, the 24% lead crystal is perfect for evaluating the hue, intensity, and clarity of wine, the glasses are perfectly balanced for swirling, and they are perfectly shaped for evaluating the nose of a nice syrah (Rhone, California), aka shiraz (Australia). They will also work for grenache (Chateauneuf), mourvedre (Bandol) or big zinfandels (California). The elegant styling doesn't hurt, either. One word of warning, though: these glasses are massive, and cry out for sizable plates and cutlery to match.

Does Riedel's stemware deserve its great press and near cliche status? Yes, without a doubt. Simply go to your local department store and compare other crystal stemware. Riedel's actually not that expensive, either. I haven't compared the Vinum series stemware (machine made crystal) against Riedel's Sommelier series (hand blown, two to three times as expensive), but the Vinum stems appear absolutely flawless. My only complaint is the tiny, some might even say tasteful, logo etched on the foot; you probably won't notice it unless you're as vehemently anti-logo as me.

With six of these glasses and a bottle of Hermitage, you won't have trouble rounding up five friends with whom to enjoy an evening.

I received the Riedel Syrah glasses as a gift after lusting after them for ages. I now wish I'd just bought them for myself. My husband and I did a side-by-side tasting of a yummy Rhone in our regular glasses and in the Riedels. No comparison, the Riedels are great. Plus, they're beautiful!

I attended Tulsa Chef Fest 2002 in November and attended a Riedel conducted seminar sampling a series of wines from around the world. I was skeptical but after the seminar I am rabid convert preaching the word. The effect of these glasses on wine is simply amazing. In the subsequent couple of weeks my wife and I purchased several of the Vinum series - "Bordeaux", "Chablis" (Chardonnay), "Sauvignon Blanc" and "Syrah". We will be adding more in time. The Syrah glasses are particular effective at concentrating the nose of the Australian and South African wines we have already enjoyed. Your satisfaction is guaranteed and the price, even at full retail, is worth every penny for the years you will enjoy with this superb glassware.

I often heard about the benefits of using Reidel crystal to enhance the flavor and bouquet of wine, but never tried it until I bought this set. And it is true--I chose a nice bottle of petit syrah wine, but it was even better than usual in the Reidal stemware.

Be prepared--it is a really big piece of stemware.

The Riedel Vinum series of stemware is very good, and the syrah/Rhone glass is no exception. The size and shape of the bowl really do enhance the bouquets of Chateauneuf de Pape, Cornas, Gigondas, and other southern and northern Rhone wines, as well as Australian or Californian shiraz/syrah based wines. (I've also found it to be quite good for brunellos, and some sangiovese-grosso based super-Tuscans.

The only drawback is having to buy six, which may be more than some people need. If you do a little searching on the web, you'll find that these glasses are available singly from some retailers.

However, that said, this is not a bad glass for everyday use, if you prefer to have just one glass for red wine; I'd probably choose the Spiegelau vino grande magnum bordeaux glass for that purpose, but each to his own.

The is a gorgeous wine glass. The same bottle of wine takes much better in the appropriate glass. Worth every penny!

They really add to your wine enjoyment. And the second shippment actually came in one piece. Amazon was real good about the return but they were not package well for shipment.