There is little doubt that a beautifully manufactured wine glass elevates the aesthetic and enjoyment of wine tasting. Design, material, balance and weight all play a critical role in influencing how a wine is perceived. A thin rim makes sipping more pleasurable. Clarity of the glass enhances a wine’s color and appearance. And perhaps most importantly, bowl shape can amplify a wine’s scent and flavor. And no one knows this better than Riedel, The Wine Glass Company.
Renowned for its high-quality, hand-blown and machine-made crystal glasses, family-run Riedel was founded in 1756 by Johann Leopold Riedel in Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Initially focused on glassmaking, the company later specialized in wine glasses and eventually revolutionized the industry by creating glasses designed to enhance the flavors and aromas of specific wines. This innovative approach led to the development of varietal-specific glassware, a brand hallmark.
“We were the first in history to discover how the size and shape of a wine glass ultimately impact how wine is perceived and enjoyed,” says Maximilian Riedel, 11th-generation CEO and current president of the company. “A wine glass serves as the introductory element to the wine-tasting experience, and each of our glasses is fine-tuned to the wine they were designed for.
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“In general, a larger bowl will allow for quicker alcohol evaporation, which brings out the fruit aromas and flavors of a wine,” he explains. “A glass with a wider rim will welcome oxygen into the glass, which will aerate the wine and release its aromas. The shape and angle of the rim determine where the wine will fall on the palate, ultimately affecting our perception of the wine’s flavors.”
Riedel explains that smaller bowls will concentrate flavors more, which is excellent for certain white wines, such as Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. “I would like to use the example of pouring oaked Chardonnay into an incorrect Riesling glass, which would completely stifle the wine. Although both are white wines, oaked Chardonnay requires a larger bowl to aerate and open up.”
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Since the company’s first collection of varietal-specific wine glasses, introduced in 1973, Riedel has continued to innovate. Core Riedel collections include Riedel Sommeliers, which started the empire Riedel has built. The Riedel Vinum series, created by Georg J. Riedel (10th generation) in 1986, was the first machine-made, affordable, varietal-specific glassware series and remains Riedel’s best-selling collection.
The Riedel “O” 2004 collection was designed by Maximilian, who wanted a stemless wine glass for everyday use that was beautiful, stackable, and slightly more casual than other Riedel collections.
Riedel Performance was introduced in 2018 and was the brand’s first series of glassware to feature bowls with a light optic impact, which positively impacts your perception and offers a heightened experience of the wine’s bouquet and flavor.
The Riedel Veloce machine-made series, launched in 2022, looks and feels handmade. Released in 2023, the Riedel Superleggero series introduces its largest, thinnest and lightest collection of eight varietal-specific styles, created using proprietary machine-made technology.
“The best characteristics of any wine you serve are significantly more noticeable and enjoyable when served in the proper glass,” says Maximilian Riedel. “Our glasses deliver the best a wine has to offer, enhancing its unique aromas and flavors to each part of the palate.”
Riedel also offers an extensive portfolio of decanter options and bar collections with cocktail-specific glassware.
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