Customer Reviews

Spiegelau Authentis Collection Red Wine Glasses, Set of 6

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought these glasses along with the white ones because they were a great deal, but once they arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by their excellent quality and their beauty. These Spiegelau Authentis Red Wine Glasses have the heft of the Riedel glasses. They feel great in the hand and they make that nice ringing sound of crystal when you toast. The tapered shape does seem to help with the nose of the wine (follow the instructions and only pour wine to the widest part of the glass), and if nothing else, they make you look good at a dinner party. And the best part of all? They seem quite happy to run through the dishwasher, which is great, because washing wineglasses by hand always scares me. After spending three months using both the red and the white Spiegelau glasses, I ordered another set of each, and I'm giving my old Bormiolis away.

I have enjoyed many reds from both Spiegelau and Riedel glasses, and I find no appreciable difference between the two. Both glass designs enhance the aromas and flavors of fine red wines beyond what thicker-rimmed glasses have to offer the taster. And why drink the wine if you can't taste the full range of the flavors? That'd be like digging into a nice porterhouse with nose plugs on.

If image is important to you, buy the Riedel. If enjoying good wine--and knowing you saved about 30%--is your primary aim, buy the Spiegelau. They are for wine drinkers.

I bought a set of the white and red Spiegelau Wine glasses on the recommendation of an article. They are said to be no different in quality from the Riedel but are typically less expensive. The absence of a rim focuses the wine on the more sensitive front part of your tongue, and the shape of the glass focusing the bouquet of the wine, both serve to really enhance your perception of the wine. Even Robert Mondavi, widely considered one of the greatest winemakers of all time, was surprised the first time he tasted a Mondavi wine from a glass like this, exclaiming "I never dreamed my wines were this good!"

I don't know about putting these in the dishwasher-I wouldn't risk it, but the manufacturer says it's fine.

I've had these glasses for over a year now and we've had great luck with them. We always put them in the dishwasher, on the normal cycle, in the bottom rack. Never had one break in the dishwasher or from handling. It may be that we've had good luck because we don't use a heated drying cycle with the machine.

One word of caution: These are leaded crystal glasses. The lead in them WILL dissolve into any acidic liquid you put in them. The quantities of lead are very, very small... you probably get more lead from breathing than you ever would from these glasses, but still, you wouldn't want to leave wine in them overnight and then drink it.

Low price, good quality, and they look nice. For this price, you can't go wrong.

MG

The Spiegelaus don't confer the cachet or bragging rights of Riedel stemware, but they are excelllent glasses nonetheless. I discovered them through the sommelier at Babbo, Mario Batali's flagship restaurant. The restaurant purchases Spiegelau because they are wonderful glasses, are reasonably priced and are sturdy enough to stand up to restaurant use.

I was tired of breaking the overly fussy Riedels, tired of being afraid to toss my wine glasses in the dishwasher every once in a while and tired of *trying* to taste the subtle nuances brought out by the more expensive glasses. It wasn't there. In side-by-side comparisons, the Spiegelaus offer everything the Riedels do at half the price.

Bottom line? Get the Spiegelau glasses and spend the rest on an extra bottle of wine or two.

The glasses are perfect- an equal to Riedel in every aspect. The shape and lip of the glass really do affect the wine- particularly the nose. In these glasses you will discover depth and complexity previously unknown. You will always find flaws- and in doing so, learn to extend your knowledge of wine.- Also-- contrary to popular belief- Amazon.com does stock this item. I ordered 24 glasses, all were delivered within the stated time.

There's not much to add to what everyone's already said about these excellent glasses. However, I wanted to weigh in on the dishwasher issue. The glasses do seem extremely delicate and I very nervously put one of them in the dishwasher as a guinea pig. I was happy to see it come out unscathed, and since then I have put them all in the dishwasher a few dozen times and haven't had a single problem. As long as you put them in the top rack and arrange them so that they won't bang into each other or anything else, you should be fine. I got mine during the 2-for-1 deal but they're easily worth the full price.

They are decent glasses at a decent price, but they are extremely fragile. Both my mother and I have a set and we have discovered that we have to air dry them because towl drying breaks them. If you are the kind of person who will forget about the air dry rule don't buy them. I also have a set of Reidel glasses and have not had they same breakage issues, so the Reidel set is probably worth the extra money.

I was interested in an alternative to my expensive Riedel crystal glasses. I often take fine wine on the road and want to ensure that I have the proper glasses to enhance the experience for myself and others. Too often, they broke in transportation or at the event and the cost was adding up. When the two for one offer popped up I thought why not give it a try; these would become my disposable glasses. The special offer price worked out to less than $5 per glass. I was certainly surprised when these arrived and I washed them. They are fine glasses that I now prefer to the Riedel, (Vinum series) irregardless of the price. (And the price difference is significantly in my favor with the special offer.) One was slightly imperfect in the lower portion/ bowl, but nothing too concerning. Sizewise, they were a tad smaller/ less voluminous than the Reidel, but again, no big deal. I am very pleased and am likely to order another set while the special offer (6 red and 6 white for $39.99) is still in force. If not, for the same price, I'd select these German crystal glasses over the Austrian Riedel Vinum series glasses.

The beauty of these glass expanded the beauty of my dining table at every dinner, however, at every toast - a simple - light clink of the glass, one cracked... after dinner another light touch while washing would produce another break. I bought 12 in April, used them at least twice a week, and I am left with 5 in October. - If your have a lighter hand then me, their look and feel is nice.