Riedel Performance Wine Glass Seminar
The Riedel Wine Glass Seminar
The Riedel family has been in the glass business a long time, since 1678 to be exact. They have also been through many ups and downs, including losing everything during World War II. Still, they recovered and never lost their commitment to glass.
In 1973 Georg Riedel introduced the Sommelier wine glass featuring thin clear glass, a wide bowl with a narrow opening at the top, thus inventing the modern wine glass. In 1986 they released the Vinum series of affordable, machine made crystal. And in 2004, Georg’s son, Maximilian designed and marketed the “O” line of stemless drinkware.
Over the years, Riedel have turned the basic concept into the art of matching the wine glass to the wine in order to best show both the aroma and flavor of the wine. There is no better way to experience this first hand than to attend a Riedel Wine Glass Seminar. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Riedel seminar in Minneapolis hosted by Maximilian (Maxi) Riedel himself which was a real treat!
We started with a very presentation going through the history of the Riedel family and their experiences as glassmakers.
I was already a believer in wine glass shape having an impact in the aroma of the wine and I gained a deeper appreciation as Maxi took us through a guided tasting using Riedel’s brand new Performance glass series. Since the Riedel Wine Glass seminar is only occasionally offered, you’ll just need to experience it vicariously through the series of photos below.
Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Riedel seminar free of charge. Note that I was impressed enough to purchase additional Riedel Performance glasses that evening as were made available to all attendees. All opinions are my own.
(click on any photo to start the full size slide show, hit escape to return)
First Thoughts on Riedel Performance Wine Glasses
At a suggested price of $59 for a two pack of glasses, the new Performance series glasses are priced higher than a typical “everyday” wine glass. In the hand, they are much more elegant than your typical wine glass as well, comparing favorably to higher priced glasses from Riedel and other manufacturers. I’m happy to report the new Riedel Performance Series glasses are much appreciated at my house. Stay tuned for a more complete report of my “at home” experience with the new glasses!
Should you be interested, Riedel Performance glasses are available at many major retailers here , here , and here. Note: these aren’t affiliate links, they are only provided for your convenience.
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foodwineclick 
Sounds like fun. But how do you clean the Eve decanter?
Maxi Riedel told us the best way to clean the decanter is to leave it soaking overnight with hot water inside. Then a nice rinse in the morning and air dry. He was clear to never put anything inside except wine or clean water!
Reblogged this on BubblyBEE.net and commented:
Love these Riedel decanters💗
Thanks! I wish they were a bit more affordable, but the basic ones do get the job done!
Love my Riedels… they’re in storage in the US. I should dig them out and bring them back to Bordeaux our next trip!
I’m often surprised Riedels seem less common in Europe than they are in the states!
We switched to Riedel a few years ago when we started getting more serious about wine and I’m with you: glasses make a huge difference. That said, I just can’t get on the stemless train. I can’t! I won’t! YOU CAN’T MAKE ME! I’ve never heard of this seminar but hope I can find it somewhere in my general area because I’d completely geek out. Great pics, too!
Thanks, Nancy. I agree with your stemless view. I only use them when out hiking, or somewhere a stem just doesn’t work.
Excellent point. We have a set of stainless, stemless sippy cup style wine glasses for exactly that reason. More importantly: they have mountains in Minnesota?! We lived in the Midwest for 8 years and the lack of altitude change was something I never got used to.
No mountains in MN, but we do go elsewhere and even on MN hikes, we’ll bring shatterproof stemless wine glasses. Need to have a glass of wine with that picnic lunch.
I’m on the stemless train only when we’re at a lower table and our dogs’ tails are more likely to be involved!
Excellent point! We have a penchant for low to the ground dogs so this has not yet been an issue 😂