Comments on: Varietal stemware: genius or hucksterism?

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:26:56 +0000

Meh. This subdivision could go on forever until there is litterally one glass for every brand and variety of wine.

By: bobzaguy

bobzaguy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:30:53 +0000

wow! this stream of comments started in 11/20/07 and today is 11/25/09. Two Years!

And still after being studiously scientized, Riedel et alia still pump the propaganda across the pond.

There still are glasses to sell.

By: SC

SC — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:20:37 +0000

Do what you want… but I wholeheartedly want my Kool-Aid in a Riedel stem. I’ve been in the biz for 10 years, I drink wine EVERY SINGLE DAY. Simply-stated… I know when a glass isn’t right. So go ahead and enjoy your Ikea glass or dixie cup…I’ll enjoy a real stem.

By: Tim Eustis

Tim Eustis — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:43:46 +0000

Read the newly avail. Zwierdling article: the way the Riedel rep leads the group into each taste and reaction is worthy of the sham-wow guy.

She says she gets nothing from the Joker glass; people agree. Were she to say she got the same level of intensity from that glass, can you guess what people would do? Yup, probably agree with her.

That being said, I do like holding a Riedel (or Spieglau, or the 2.98€ glasses I can get at restaurant supply stores here in Paris) better than the cheap $1 tasting glasses. That’s just aesthetics, though, isn’t it? And has little to do with the wine. Though it helps the whole experience…

By: david fish

david fish — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:46:05 +0000

I was at my tasting room and some guests were WAY too full of Riedel-Voodoo babble. Although I have the Oregon Pinot Glass at the tasting room, they were cranky that I didn’t have another glass for gris, riesling, etc.

They prattled on (and I let them). When I gave their designated-driver a soda I loudly apologized to him (so they’d hear). I’m sorry that I only have the Coke glass, not the DIET-coke glass… He laughed and they seethed…

By: Rand

Rand — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:07:52 +0000

Ive been in the wine business a long time. Long enough at least to sort out the effect of glass wear. Major shape changes do make a difference but it is simply a matter of aromatics. I know one thing for sure. The cheap tasting glasses we use in our wine store don’t cut it at all. I think we could sell a lot more wine with a proper glass. On the other hand, I can not perceive any difference between my Riedel Bordeaux glasses and my Riedel Shiraz glasses. They look the same except the Shiraz are a bit taller. I think 3 glass shapes are optimal. A set of white wine glasses, a set of Bordeaux glasses and a set of Pinot Noir glass are all you need.

By: Max Riedel washes his snake in the bathtub | Dr Vino's wine blog

Max Riedel washes his snake in the bathtub | Dr Vino's wine blog — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:29:58 +0000

[...] “Varietal stemware: genius or hucksterism?“ Permalink | SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Max Riedel washes his snake in the bathtub”, url: [...]

By: Lijaha

Lijaha — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:29:03 +0000

Having done a tasting with Riedel stemware, I was converted. The same wine differed markedly in taste from one glass to another. There was little or no suggestion involved (the person leading the tasting being massively hungover and somewhat monosyllabic) and I was sceptical to start with. I also do not pride myself on my nose but the differences were not subtle – quite the opposite.
I note most anti comments seem to be from those who haven’t done the tasting.
Of course, whether it’s tongue mapping or smell is another thing entirely. I respect the opinion of those who discount tongue-mapping. One for more research.
Having met Georg Riedel, I dispute that he is a huckster. He firmly believes in his product and he brings his own glasses to restaurants. And it is a great, handmade product – 40 per cent of the factory’s lead crystal glasses are rejected at quality control, though I was told: ‘Look long enough at any glass and you’ll see a flaw.’

By: The Plonks Guide to Becoming a Snob | Wine Country

The Plonks Guide to Becoming a Snob | Wine Country — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:33:46 +0000

[...] this has been the cause of great debate among aficionados as many believe it is hucksterism, while others believe it to be the elite among wine [...]

By: Some interesting views from fellow bloggers | The Cru

Some interesting views from fellow bloggers | The Cru — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:09:18 +0000

[...] Varietal stemware: genius or hucksterism? – Dr. Vino [...]

By: Paul Sharp

Paul Sharp — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:53:30 +0000

This is a great post for provoking comment. It seems that from the comments there is a consensus that the glasses do nothing to affect the taste and that the those who have commented do not believe that it is possible to affect the taste of wine or if that is true any liquid by the altering the physical shape of the vessel that you consume it from.
However I doubt anyone here would want to drink there from a coffee cup.

Where’s the good Doctor stand on this?

By: Arthur

Arthur — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:32:26 +0000

If I remember correctly from an article I read about this, Riedel did not originate the Oregon Pinot noir glass. Rather, it was produced at the urging of that state’s wine growers’/makers’ association.

All that aside, bowl size and profile do quite a lot for aromatic expression but nothing for a wine’s taste.

By: Alder

Alder — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:37:59 +0000

Different shaped wine glasses can make a huge difference in the way a wine smells in my experience, but having attended the same “roadshow” described by BlindMuscat above, I can say they seem to have a minimal impact on the way wine tastes.

The “changes where and how the wine hits the tongue” line is total bullshit. When you take a sip of wine it almost instantly floods your entire mouth cavity because that is the way your physiology evolved to take liquid into the mouth — in such a way that it is exposed to the majority of your tastebuds as quickly as possible. Presumably this is to help us identify when things taste bad so we can spit them out before we swallow them and they kill us.

Now, the one grey area here is the fact that we only taste 5 things (salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and Umami) but we perceive many more flavors than that because much of tasting is olfactory. So does the glass affect the aromas that we sense when a wine is tasting like blackberry? I’d argue no because most of those aromas are sensed through the ducts that connect our mouth cavity with our sinuses, which the glass has nothing to do with. But since glasses can clearly change our perception of aromas, there may be something at work here.

By: Weekly wine update from Sour Grapes a blog about wine in Ireland

Weekly wine update from Sour Grapes a blog about wine in Ireland — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:06:53 +0000

[...] Varietal stemware: genius or hucksterism? [...]

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:55:19 +0000

In the same vein, Seth Goldin’s piece “A good story makes the product better” about Riedel – my May 8, 2005 posting here: http://www.danperlman.net/what.htm