Customer Reviews

Spiegelau Vino Grande Magnum Bordeaux Glasses, Set of 6

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really like these glasses, but they do have a couple drawbacks in my opinion.

First, the pros: 1) Crystal look and feel and sound 2) Nice design and overall shape 3) Large capacity for big wines 4) Comparable to Riedels, but 1/2 the price

Some 'cons': 1) Man! These things are big! I mean, at 9 inches tall, they're at least and inch taller than the big Riedels 2) Some visual distortion through the glass down near the bottom. Perhaps the glass is thicker, creating refraction. The Riedels don't suffer from this - perfect 'optics' all the way to the step.

I've been using Spiegelau wine glasses for several years, and they are excellent. The bordeaux glass is great for bordeaux or any merlot or cabernet sauvignon based wine. These glasses are designed to enhance the bouquet of those types of wine. (They're also not bad for Rhones, though I prefer the Reidel Vinum syrah glass.)

If you drink a lot of burgundy, or pinot noir, or Italian Piedmont wines (barolo, barbaresco, langhe), I'd suggest Spiegelau's burgundy glass. If your preference is zinfandel or chianti, you're a bit out of luck with Spiegelau however. Their chianti glass isn't very good. Try the Riedel vinum chianti glass for these wines; you'll be knocked out by the way it focuses the bouquet.

Some reviewers have complained about breakage. I've seldom broken a glass, but it does occasionally happen during washing. My method is to clear the sink, run the water as hot as possible, put a bit of dishsoap in each glass. I then use a special ultra soft brush (which I got at a local wine shop for about $6) to clean the glass, removing fingerprints and especially the gunk around the rim. Then rinse thoroughly with very hot water. Invert on cloth. After about half an hour, with the glasses almost dry, you can wipe them off with paper towels (which don't leave any lint behind) and put them away.

The main thing is never to lay them down in the sink, and wash one glass at a time. Just do the wine glasses and pay attention to what you're doing. Don't try to stick your hand inside the bowl when drying; just use the paper towels.

Finally, even though these glasses are supposed to be dishwasher safe, I don't know why anybody who loves wine would put stemware in a dishwasher. Dishwashers always leave a film, and eventually their abrasive detergents will put microscopic scratches on the glasses, which lose their clarity as a consequence.

I couldn't bring myself to spend the money on Reidel glasses, and these are a great alternative. They really do make wine drinking more enjoyable. The size and shape of the glass brings out the aroma of reds beautifully. The rims are thin, and the glass balances nicely in your hand. The generous size also makes for a striking table setting. Very satisfied.

These glasses are attractive and always noticed by guests. They are used in my household on a routine basis and truely enhance the enjoyment of wine. Too tall for my dishwasher!

I use these glasses every day. I used to have the same size/shape Riedel glasses, but these are *exactly* the same shape, and half the price. Also, the stem is just slightly thicker, so I don't break them nearly as often. They go right into the dishwasher, and come out looking perfect. I adore Spiegelau stemware.

I have 12 of these beautiful red wine glases, and I have to say I absolutely love the size/shape of these glasses. They really enhance a given wine beautifully, yet cost much less than Riedels (though look just as good.) Of all the Spiegelau red wine glasses, the Vino Grande bordeaux is by far my favorite---it is larger than the standard red wine glass (around 17 ounces), yet slightly smaller than the 25 ounce burgundy glass, which is a little too big in my opinion. Overall these are very classy, yet durable glass---which is why you'll find these exact same glasses in many, if not most fine steak restaurants.

We have been using Riedel crystal wine glasses (and still do on occasion with the handful that we have left), but I finally decided to buy Spiegelau glasses for our everyday drinking glasses. Because we drink wine and entertain regularly, our collection of Riedel glasses has been diminishing --- although the crystal Riedel's are beautiful glasses (and still used for the right occasions), they are extremely fragile and I have personally destroyed several while simply hand washing them. At any rate, after years of attrition via visiting friends and family, we needed to stock up on new glasses. Because I hate to hand wash dishes, I began to look into the dishwasher-safe glasses from Riedel and Spiegelau for the new replacements. I was going to just buy the dishwasher-safe Riedel glasses (name recognition of course), but I couldn't get over how much better the Spiegelaus were priced. Moreover, all of my favorite restaurants use Spiegelau (and come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Riedels at a restaurant). Therefore, I took the leap and stocked up on the Chardonnay, Cabernet, Riesling, Port and Champagne glasses. I'm really glad that I did --- all of them are terrific! Although not as elegant as the fine crystal versions, these are excellent for everyday use and large dinner parties. I've already bounced one off of a granite countertop and it survived the collision without incident. I've also washed them all in the dishwasher several times and they've come out great. I am very, very happy with this purchase. I'm sure that the comparable dishwasher-safe Riedel glasses are just as nice (possibly nicer?), but you can't beat Spiegelau's price!

I bought a set of these glasses for my husband for Christmas after debating a long time between these and some similar glasses from Reidel. I have to say that we are very happy with these lower priced glasses (although I paid $39.99 in December 2004 and now in January 2005 the price has gone up to $58.99!).

As other reviews have stated, these are large, but are beautifully made. Mine had no optical distortions. They are perfect for use as all purpose red wine glasses. Give these a try before buying the more expensive brand. You will be pleasantly surprised.

I've now had these glasses for over a month and am quite pleased. Great shape for Bordeaux and many other big reds. Feels sturdy, yet thin enough at the lip. My only real complaint is that they've etched the name "'Spiegelau" onto the base -- pretty tacky and unattractive in my opinion. Overall great value and I like these so much I also bought the Grande Red, White and Riesling lines.

March 2009 Update: We've now had these glasses for almost 3 years and they have held up very, very well. We always hand wash and the only breakage has been our fault. These are actually very sturdy glasses considering how thin the glass is. Could not be more pleased with these glasses, especially given their price! I hardly notice the name badge on the base now. Not sure if that's because it is fading (likely) or if daily use has made it nearly invisible to me now.

I bought 12 of these for myself in January and love them. After several blind tastings we even determined the wine actually tastes better in this glass. They feel great in the hand and on the lips.

I have been washing in the dishwasher on gentle, top rack. No problem. They are all still in perfect condition.

Highly recommended!!!!!!