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You’ve likely heard of Riedel for two reasons: firstly because their glassware is beautifully made, but secondly the company is one of the largest wine glass manufacturers in the world. Riedel’s extensive collections include both machine-made and hand-blown glassware, so there’s something for everyone at every price point.
We’re big fans of the brand and regularly use Riedel glassware for wine and cocktails at home. But the brand has so many great collections that it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. So we chatted with Maximilian Riedel, the 11th generation managing director of the 267-year company to get an explainer on some of his favorite collections:
Riedel Sommeliers
“Released in 1973 and designed by my grandfather Claus J. Riedel (9th generation), this series changed glassware forever,” Riedel says. “It created an entirely new category when it became the first collection of varietal specific wine glasses. By working with wine experts and experienced tasters, Claus became the first in history to discover how a wine glass bowl shape and size affects how wine is perceived and enjoyed. By adopting the Bauhaus design principle of ‘form follows function,’ he tailored each wine glass shape to enhance the characteristics of each grape varietal. As a result, the wine showed more depth and balance. His work has revolutionized the appearance of stemware as we know it and continues to inform our approach to glassware design today.”
Riedel Vinum
“Influenced by my grandfather’s revolutionary work with the Riedel Sommeliers collection, my father, Georg J. Riedel (10th generation) created the innovative Riedel Vinum collection in 1986,” Riedel says. “This was the first machine-made varietal specific glassware series, which he designed to significantly reduce production costs. Ultimately, this made varietal specific wine glasses more affordable so more wine enthusiasts could enjoy them. Today, Riedel Vinum is still our best-selling collection.”
Riedel Performance
“We introduced the machine-blown Riedel Performance Collection in 2018, which was our first series of glassware to feature bowls with a light optic impact,” Reidel says. “Through our extensive research, we found that increasing the inner surface area of a wine glass not only looks visually appealing, but allows the wine to really open up, showcasing its full aroma and flavors. For this reason, we call these glasses the ultimate ‘loudspeakers’ for wine.”
Riedel Veloce
“Our Riedel Veloce glasses, which launched in 2022, both look and feel handmade, but they are actually machine-made,” Riedel says. “Riedel fans may notice a resemblance to our earlier Extreme Collection, which was our first machine-produced, diamond-shaped series. Recognizing the revolution of modern wines, we adapted glass shapes for cabernet sauvignon/merlot, as well as for riesling. These glasses are taller than those in our Extreme collection and have a thinner stem and finer bowls. I selected the name “Veloce,” which means “fast” in Italian, in reference to the modern machine technology that makes it possible to produce this glass quickly and in large quantities, while still maintaining the look and feel of a handmade vessel.”
Now that you’ve had your Riedel wine glass crash course, here are some of our personal favorites. Depending on your flavor preferences and the wines you sip the most, these glasses are a great place to start when building your collection.
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