Does wine really taste better when drunk from a grape-specific glass? Tom Otley finds a clear difference on a visit to Austria.
Glassware and the Riedel name go back a long way in Europe, although the first recorded instance is perhaps not the happiest. In 1723, a glass trader called Johann Christoph Riedel was murdered as he returned from a sales tour. In time, his story became famous all around Bohemia, the region where glass-making was centred because of the forests which provided fuel for the furnaces. Perhaps realising that being a travelling salesman for such a fragile product wasn’t ever going to make the family rich, particularly with such an unfortunate reputation, Johann’s grandson settled down and formed the first Riedel factory in Zenckner in Antoniwald. Generation after generation of Riedels followed in the family glass-making tradition, and it was only the Second World War, the subsequent redrawing of borders, and the appropriation of the Riedel factories by the Czech authorities which caused an interruption.
Down, but not out, the family was soon back in business with help from another famous glass family, the Swarovskis, who helped get Claus Riedel back on his feet after the war. By 1956, Claus and his father Walter had bought a bankrupt glass-making business in Kufstein and, relying on Claus’s brilliance as a designer, came up with revolutionary ideas for glassware which formed the basis of the present success of the family firm.
Standing in the company’s museum-cum-showroom on the first floor of the family factory in Kufstein today, it’s astonishing how beautiful the glass objects are when viewed in spotlit cabinets – not just the wine and spirit glasses, but decanters, cover plates and vases. There are several ranges of glasses, from the expensive, hand-blown lead crystal, to more modern machine-made products, as well as a range specifically for restaurants. Yet even the cheapest glasses in these collections are considerably pricier than those in a supermarket or high-street shop. So is the extra money well spent?
Georg Riedel, the latest chief executive of the family firm, believes so. Under his supervision the number of glasses in the range has increased – most of us would agree that red and white wine, not to mention champagne and spirits, should be drunk from different glasses, but Riedel has taken this approach a step further, creating grape-specific glasses. Thus there is a Chardonnay glass, a Sauvignon glass and a Gruner Veltliner glass.
This might seem like a step too far, but Riedel is persuasive, although this may have been helped by the location of our conversation – his house, a spectacular James Bond-like construction on the side of a hill near the factory in Kufstein, Austria. It wasn’t that I thought disagreement would result in my chair tipping back to dunk me in a tank full of piranha fish – but as there was a circular glass floor beneath the dining table and an elegant wine cellar in sight below, the possibility was there. Living to fight another day, I agreed to a taste test to settle the matter.
Few people nowadays have any idea how glass is made, so a tour of the Kufstein factory is both fascinating and a couple of hours well spent. It’s here that the old methods are followed to produce the hand-blown lead crystal Sommeliers range for which Riedel is well known. The most expensive of these glasses costs around £80 (US$158), so if you were considering investing in a set of eight for a Saturday-night supper party, you might be interested in knowing the level of skill, and amount of effort, which goes into their production.
The tour includes a sprinkling of history, both general and Riedel-specific, an interactive tour of the senses (very James Bond if you are taking it on your own), an idiot’s guide to glass-making courtesy of an English-speaking guide and a walk around the factory to watch the hypnotic process of turning a molten substance into something you hold against your lips.
Despite all this, I was still dubious about Riedel’s extravagant claims for his glasses. The Riedel Vinum Cognac Hennessy glass had caught my eye – surely this was his Achilles heel? How could you drink cognac out of a tiny object like that, when everyone knows you should use a giant Napoleon goblet, held between ring and middle finger, with cigar in hand (difficult, this, without pouring it down your front). No, for the best cognac, you want the sort of glass you can fit most of your nose into so the aromas make your eyes water.
So in the factory shop, after the tour, I tried the same cognac from both glasses. The difference was dramatic. In the Riedel glass the flavour of the cognac was far less astringent, had more taste and was less tear-inducing. The drink caressed my nose rather than punching it. And since I pay £40 (US$79) for a bottle of cognac in duty-free, a glass which brings the best out of that bottle for only £12.95 (US$25) wasn’t prohibitively priced – although if I chose the same glass but in the Riedel Sommeliers lead crystal range, it would become the Cognac VSOP Crystal glass, and the price rises to £40 (US$79) per glass (minimum order, four glasses). Something for the Christmas list, then.
To be fair to Georg Riedel, he isn’t suggesting that everyone buy hand-blown lead crystal glasses, especially when the quality of machine-made glass is extremely high. Instead, his mission is to convince the wine and spirit-drinking public that the shape of a glass makes a considerable difference to the taste of the liquid in it, and these days, when every respectable hedge fund manager has a collection of first growths, there’s certainly a ready market for this sort of thing. I’d need that kind of money to let anyone else wash them up though…
For more details visit riedel.com, wineware.co.uk, or to buy visit riedel.co.uk
FIRST RIEDEL ROOM OPENS IN HONGKONG
Wine afficionados in Asia, particularly those residing in Hongkong, have something to celebrate – the opening of the first Riedel Room in the world at the JW Marriott Hotel.
Riedel Room@Q88 is an extension of the hotel’s wine bar, and a truly unique space it is.
In a matter of months, the former cigar bar was transformed into a stylishly futuristic cellar – with the help of LED lighting effects applied to the entrance and Riedel glass display – that’s open for lunch and dinner as well as for private functions. Guests can expect to be treated to an exclusive Riedel Wine List served in top-of-the-line Riedel Crystals – Sommeliers series. The shape of each wine glass is customised to accentuate the flavour and individuality of different wines. A total of 240 Sommerlier crystals are available.
Rounding up the wine experience are three set menus. The first priced at HK$400 (US$51) consists of Amuse Bouche, Tempura Oyster with Wasabi Dressing, Pumpkin Consomme with Herbs and Mushroom Jelly, Pistachio Farced Cornish Hen, Chanterelles, Green Peas, Truffle Jus, Cheese Selection with Dried Apricot Compote and Crackers. The second costing HK$600 (US$77) includes Amuse Bouche, followed by Ginger Infused Salmon Tartar with a Caper Butter Cracker, Chilled Tomato Consomme with Blue Swimmer Crab Salad, Roasted Duck Breast with Spiced Wild Berries and Chocolate, Seared Wagyu Sirloin, Forest Mushrooms, Bone Marrow and Sauce Bordelaise, Napoleon and coffee or tea. The third at HK$800 (US$102) starts off with Amuse Bouche, followed by Hiramasa Tartar, Crayfish Bisque, Foie Gras Torchon, Basil-Infused Champagne Sorbet, Poached Milk-Fed Veal, Goat Cheese with Roasted Walnuts and White Peach Panna Cotta.
