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The Riedel Charm |
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Handmade and Machine-made |
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The Riedel trademark dates from the Art Nouveau period at the end of the 19th century, and was used for Riedel glassware made in Bohemia from 1890 to 1925.
 In 1996, to commemorate Riedel's 240th anniversary, they reintroduced this trademark for all their mouth-blown, handmade products. The distinctive Riedel signature is now featured on the base of all of those products made in Austria. The signature trademark helps customers distinguish immediately between handmade products and those made by machine. Riedel's machine made products carry this trademark =>  .
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The Riedel company's contribution to the crystal market |
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The Riedel glass dynasty is built on the creative energies of a long line of glassmakers. The story begins in 1756 in Bohemia and has continued right down to the united Europe of today despite encountering some of the most dramatic events in European history. The glass making torch has been passed down through 10 generations of Riedels. Artists, scientists, industrialists, innovators: each successive generation has made its own contribution to the art and science of glassmaking.
After World War II the Riedel glass factories in Czechoslovakia were confiscated by the communist regime, and Claus J. Riedel had to start all over again in Austria. | 
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The Riedel Family |
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 In 1956 he acquired , with his father Walter, today's factory in Tyrol.
Claus Josef's career took off when he turned away from colored, decorated glass to focus instead on functional stemware. His breathtakingly fresh and original designs won many awards and are even featured in museum collections worldwide.
He was the first to reveal that the size and shape of a glass affect perceptions of aroma and taste.
 In the 1960s Claus Josef began to develop the Sommeliers series, which has since come to be reckognized as the quality benchmark of wine glasses.
Today, the series is comprised of over 20 glasses, each designed to enhance a particular type of wine or spirit. The shape of each glass is designed to direct the flow of a liquid to the correct 'taste zones' of the tongue, thus ensuring a perfectly balanced tasting experience.
 This brilliant innovation has opened up a whole new dimension of pleasure for wine drinkers.
Claus' son Georg Riedel, the current present of Riedel Crystal, has fine-tuned this concept and extended it into different price-ranges which allows even novices to experience these wonderful innovations.
He is constantly researching the complex scientific relationship between grape variety and glass shape. This requires frequent workshops and tastings with winemakers and experts all over the world - Riedel glasses are not designed with computers!
Robert Parker, one of the world's foremost authorities on wine, recently wrote that 'the finest glasses for technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by the Riedel Company in Austria.' Georg Riedel has been described by the wine spectator as 'a glassmaker devoted to wine,' and in 1996 the leading British wine magazine, Decanter, named him 'Man of the Year.' Riedel was not only the youngest man ever to receive this honor, but also the first German speaking recipient and the first recipient to have no involvement in the wine business.
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General Rules |
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The glasses ae designed to emphasize a wine's harmony, not its faults. Riedel views the wine glass as an instrument to bring together the personality of the wine, its smell, and taste and appearance. To fully appreciate the subtle characteristics of individual wines, it is esssential to have a glass whose shape is fine-tuned for the purpose. The shape is responsible for the quality and intensity of the bouquet and the flow of the wine. The initial contact point depends on the shape and volume of the glass, the diameter of the rim, and its finish (is it cut and polished or a rolled edge) as well as the thickness of the crystal.
As you put your wine glass to your lips, your taste buds are alert. The wine flow is directed onto the appropriate taste zones of our palate and consequently leads to different tastes.
Once your tongue is in contact with the wine three messages are transmitted at the same time: temperature, texture, and taste.
| Shape: |
The content determines the shape. |
| Size: |
The size of the glass is important, affecting both the quality and intensity of the aromas.
The breathing space has to be chosen according to the 'personality' of the wine or spirit. Red wines require large glasses; white wines, medium glasses; spirits, small ones, so as to emphasize the fruit character not the alcohol. |
| Serving quantities: |
The glass should not be over-filled.
One should serve red wine in amounts of 4-5 oz.; white wine, 3 oz.; spirits, 1oz. |
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Sommeliers series |
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 | | 'The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound. I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make.' (Robert M. Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate)
Prof. Claus J. Riedel was the first designer to reckognize that the bouquet, taste, balance, and finish of wines are affected by the shape of glass from which they are drunk. Forty years ago he began his pioneering work to create stemware that would match and complement different wines and spirits.
In the late 1950s , Riedel started to produce glasses which at the time were a design revolution. Thin-blown, unadorned , reducing the design to its essence: bowl, stem, base. Working with experienced tasters, Riedel discovered that wine enjoyed from his glasses showed more depth and better balance than when served in other glasses. Claus J. Riedel laid the groundwork for stemware that was functional as well as beautiful, and made according to the Bauhaus design principle: form follows function. In 1961 a revolutionary concept was introduced when the Riedel catalog featured the first line of wine glasses made of different sizes and shapes.
Before this, conventional stemware had used a single basic bowl shape, with only the size varying depending on its use.
This concept was illustrated to perfection with the introduction of the Sommeliers series in 1973, which quickly achieved worldwide recognition.
A glass was born that turned a sip into a celebration - a wine's best friend - fine-tuned to to match the grape.
Riedel invites you to to share in this fascinating and unique experience. You don't need to be a wine writer, a wine maker, or an expert to taste the difference that one of these glasses can make.
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The content determines the shape |
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Riedel's belief when it comes to developing a glass shape is: design ideas are not born on the drawing board but shaped by trial and error with the help and support of the world's greatest palates.
A person interested in wine is led by color, bouquet, and taste, but often the glass is not considered as an instrument to convey the message of the wine. Over the years Riedel acquired some interesting scientific explanations as to why the shape of a glass influences both bouquet and taste of alcoholic beverages.
First the discovery was made while enjoying wine. The same wine showed completely different qualities when served in a variety of glasses- so much so that experienced connoisseurs were made to believe that they were tasting different wines.
The grape variety is the key factor determining the relationship between fruit, acidity , tannin, and alcohol.
Next, Riedel was able to create shapes in which the wine, vinified from specific grape varieties, seemed to improve. It was reckognized that there is a complex role that size and shape play in conveying the message of a fine wine.
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Bouquet |
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 The quality and intensity of aromas are determined not only by the personality of of a wine but also by its affinity to the glass shape. Bouquet can only develop in a range of temperatures. Low temperatures temper the intensity, whereas high temperatures push mainly alcoholic fumes.
When describing the importance of the glass shape one assumes that the right serving sizes (white wine: 2-3 oz.; red wine: 3-5 oz.) and temperatures are respected. When wine is poured out, it starts to evaporate and the aromas quickly fill the glass in layers according to their density and specific gravity.
The lightest vapors are at the rim, the heaviest on the bottom. Consequently the size and the shape of the glass can be fine-tuned to the typical aromas of a grape variety.
The lightest, most fragile are those which resemble flower and fruit aromas. Slender, eggshaped glasses emphasize this kind of aroma. The middle is filled with green vegetal aromas and earthy mineral components. The heaviest aromas are those of wood and alcohol.
When swirling the glass, the wine moistens additional surface which increases the evaporation and intensity of the aromas. However, it does not allow layers of bouquet to blend together. It is for this reason that the different qualities of aroma noted in a variety of glasses are amazing. (The same wine may have fruit aromas in one glass and green and vegetal herbiness in another). To eliminate this effect, you would have to move the layers vertically and shake the glass. Only then would you discover the same bouquet in all glasses!
Experienced tasters rely on their olfactory talents more than their palates to determine the provenance of the sample or the grape variety in blind tastings. Very large glasses with a capacity of more than 25 ounces allow you to sniff through the layers of bouquet by inhaling extremely gently and consistently for more than ten seconds. You can smell through the fruit aromas to the alcohol fumes.
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Taste |
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 Each individual is the sovereign of his or her own palate!
We cannot dictate firm rules over personal preferences, though our advice may provide valuable guidelines. Years of experience have shown that 90% of wine lovers approve of the suggestions made by Riedel. Physical movements and adjustments are controlled subconsciously. The shape of the glass forces the head to position itself in such a way that you drink and do not spill.
Wide open glass shapes require us to sip by lowering the head. Narrow rims roll the head backwards and the liquid flows because of gravity. This delivers and positions the beverage to different zones of the palate. Drinking in big sips to quench the thirst will diminish the influence of the vessel, and only the aftertaste will offer flavor. Alcoholic beverages are consumed according to their strength in small to very small quantities at a time. This gives the chance to control the flow where the beverage contacts the tongue.
| The four taste zones of the tongue |
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Bitterness and astringence
The far back part of the tongue is sensitive to bitter and astringent flavors |
| In order to appreciate complex nuances |
Salty
The most outer regions of the tongue are sensitive to salty flavors |
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Acidic
The regions just inside of the salty zones are sensitive to acidic flavors |
| On this part of the tongue all four types of flavor can be experienced. |
Sweet
The tip of the tongue is sensetive to sweetness. |
The resulting nerve message is delivered at a speed of 400 m/sec to our brain where it leaves a lasting first impression.
In most cases we would be disappointed if the sweet fruit flavors were lacking, and tart components dominated the taste picture. If this occurs, the blame is usually put on the quality of the wine but never on the shape of the glass.
This is the moment where shape can make a tremendous difference in conveying a wine's message. Every wine has its own blend - fruit, acidity, mineral, tannin, alcohol - based on the grape variety, soil and climate.
By studying the character of the grape variety Riedel is able to deliver wine and spirits to the nose and palate so that each beverage can reach its full expression.
The finish plays an important part in the overall impression and even this is strongly influenced by the design of the bowl. It will take time to recognize that a glass is not just a glass but an instrument of pleasure and enjoyment.
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