a 300 year-old family owned company
RIEDEL - The Wine Glass Company
Founded in 1756 and pioneering grape varietal-specific stemware since 1958, RIEDEL has become the brand of choice for wine connoisseurs and drink specialists, hospitality professionals and consumers globally.
A RIEDEL glass turns a sip of wine into a celebration!
CAUTION: This is a grape varietal specific wine instrument! This shape works best with wines made from specific grapes. Please read the instructions below to guarantee maximum enjoyment.
RIEDEL has researched the grape varietal sensation, leading to the conclusion, on which the world’s wine experts agree; that the enjoyment of the aroma, taste, texture and finish of a wine, is maximized by using the right "Wine Instrument".
About RIEDEL Crystal
- RIEDEL CRYSTAL (established 1756) has been producing glass in the heart of Europe for over 260 years and eleven generations.
- Family owned and operated by GEORG J. RIEDEL (10th generation) and MAXIMILIAN J. RIEDEL (11th generation).
- RIEDEL is recognized worldwide for designing and producing the highest quality glasses and decanters for wine and spirit enjoyment. Top-rated wineries and restaurants throughout the world use RIEDEL.
- RIEDEL produces collections for every lifestyle and price range, whether for critical wine evaluation, a picnic or dinner. There is a series for every wine lover.
RIEDEL Trademark
The distinctive Riedel signature is now featured on the base of all handmade/hand-finished products. This signature trademark helps our customers to distinguish immediately between handmade/hand-finished products and those made by machine. Our machine-made products carry this trademark. The RIEDEL glass dynasty is built on the creative energies of a long line of glassmakers. The story begins in 1756 in Bohemia and continues right down to the united Europe of today, taking in some of the most dramatic events in European history along the way.
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The quality of the glass plays a crucial role here and RIEDEL produces the largest range of high-quality glasses, specifically fine-tuned to fit the predominant wine varietals of the planet. RIEDEL makes it possible to fully appreciate all the nuances of aromas and tastes from the best wines in the world.
Michel Bettane
Guide Bettane et Desseauve
At RIEDEL, Content commands Shape
Perfectly designed glassware enhances the aroma and the flavor of all aromatic beverages.
- In the late 1950s, Claus J. Riedel was the first person in history to introduce and develop wine-friendly stemware.
- Wine-friendly stemware translates and delivers the bouquet, taste, balance and finish of a wine to the senses.
- Based on this principle, RIEDEL introduced the concept of grape-specific glassware.
Why Shape Matters:
- Stemware consists of three parts: the bowl, stem and base.
- The height of the stem and the width of the base are part of the glass design (known as the architecture).
- Grape varietal specific stemware features finely-tuned glass bowls consisting of three variables: shape, size and rim diameter.
- Grape varietal specific stemware has to translate the "message" of wine to the human senses.
There are 4 Sensations in Wine:
- Bouquet: Grape varietal specific stemware is responsible for delivering the quality and intensity of the wine’s aroma.
- Texture: Grape varietal specific stemware highlights the exciting and diverse styles of "mouthfeel" in wine (watery, creamy, silky, velvety).
- Flavor: Grape varietal specific stemware creates a balanced interaction between the fruit, minerality, acidity and bitter components of a wine.
- Finish: Grape varietal specific stemware offers a pleasant, seamless, harmonious, and long lasting aftertaste.
Comprised of three parts: bowl – stem – base
The Architecture of Stemware
Handmade / Hand-Finished Product
The origin of blown glassware dates back 2000 years. The Romans were the first to use this technique. At RIEDEL, in Kufstein, we produce hand-made and hand-finished crystal glassware. Each handmade and hand-finished item is individually crafted/hand-finished by our master glassmakers.
The expertise of these craftsmen guarantees that the quality of each glass meets the high standard for which our brand is known. Because of the handcrafting/hand-finishing, small tolerances in the size and weight of each glass, tiny bubbles/ imperfections and slight surface variations are a feature and an acceptable part of the process.
Finding the right RIEDEL glass
- RIEDEL offers both "varietal-specific" glasses for true wine lovers and "wine friendly" glasses for casual wine drinkers.
- Use stemmed glassware for fine dining and stemless for casual dining.
- Plan to invest ($) as much for one glass as you spend on average for a bottle of wine.
- When you choose a grape varietal-specific RIEDEL glass, know it is built for a purpose and performs at its best with a specific type of wine.
- A grape varietal-specific RIEDEL glass is a wine intrument; "the key to wine" meant to unlock the most elusive characteristics.
- Visit our Wine Glass Guide to identify the right glass for your wine.
Is there one glass for all my wines?
The most versatile shapes for red and white wines are our RIEDEL Wine Friendly Magnum and the Vinum Riesling Grand Cru, but please remember, the shape does matter for maximum intensity and total wine enjoyment.
One size fits all? How can each shape provide a unique experience for my wine?
- One glass is not ideal for all styles of wines. A wine’s bouquet, taste, balance and finish are all affected by the shape of the glass it is consumed from.
- A wine will display completely different characteristics when served in different glasses.
- These differences can be so great, that even experienced wine connoisseurs believe that they are tasting as many different wines as there are glasses.
- RIEDEL has created shapes that specifically enhance a wine’s harmony and highlight its unique characteristics.
- Grape varietals carry unmistakable flavor profiles in their DNA, which add to the importance of selecting the appropriate glass.
- Wines have two, three or four flavor contributors which are associated with the fermentation.
Two flavor contributors: floral white wines - aroma and taste are dominated by fermented grape juice and the flavor of yeast.
Recommended: RIESLING GRAND CRU (13-3/8oz, 380ccm)
Three flavor contributors: oak-aged white wines - aroma and taste are dominated by fermented grape juice, the flavor of yeast, and oak influence (malolactic fermentation, gentle wood flavors combined with aging and aeration).
Recommended: MONTRACHET/CHARDONNAY (18-3/8oz, 520ccm)
Four flavor contributors: oak-aged red wines - aroma and taste are dominated by fermented grape juice, the flavor of yeast, maceration (fermentation of skin and juice) and oak influence (malolactic fermentation, gentle wood flavors combined with aging and aeration).
Recommended: CABERNET (30-3/8oz, 860ccm)
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The introduction of the Sommeliers series in 1973 achieved worldwide recognition. A glass was born that turns a sip into a celebration – a wine’s best friend – fine-tuned to match the grape! We invite you to share this fascinating and unique experience. You do not need to be a wine writer, a wine maker or an expert to taste the difference that a RIEDEL glass can make.
Vinum became the first machine-made glass in history to be based on the characteristics of grape varietals. Vinum was not developed on a drawing board, but in tasting workshops, based on performance, where the content commands the shape. The pleasure of enjoying fine wine starts with the right glass.
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O Wine Tumbler is the first varietal-specific wine tumbler in history. O is an innovative take on the casual wine glass, giving total wine enjoyment. O is based on the benchmark shapes of Vinum to enhance the world’s most important grape varietals. The tumbler, used for centuries as an all-round drinking vessel, is now turned into a sophisticated wine accessory. Broken stems are a thing of the past.
This range was launched in 2008 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Sommeliers Burgundy Grand Cru glass. The red wine glasses are distinguished by a tall black stem and the white wine glasses feature a black base, making this one of our most exciting collections.
RIEDEL Bar (2008)
for spirits served neat
RIEDEL Bar is composed of stylish and functional glasses designed to enhance the enjoyment of spirits. The series showcases the aromatics and flavor characteristics while minimizing the bite of alcohol. RIEDEL adopts the same approach in developing spirits glasses as they do to refine their wine glass shapes. Tasters determine which forms show the most popular spirits and fortified wines to their greatest advantage on the nose and palate, without losing the carefully crafted nuances of distillation to the dominance of alcohol.
Timeless and elegant RIEDEL Veritas is fine blown and light weight. Executed in sparking crystal this classic glass collection is perfectly balanced in hand. RIEDEL Veritas is designed based on the iconic RIEDEL Grape Varietal Specific bowls which bring optimum wine enjoyment.
The special production technology developed for RIEDEL VERITAS underlines RIEDEL’s hallmark leadership in performance-driven crystal drinkware for consumers and professionals.
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.
Wine Critic, The Wine Advocate
This collection is a stunning range of varietal-specific wine glasses with colorful handmade stems using traditional Venetian techniques. With its hand-made stem and base, "Fatto a Mano" combines the crafts of the past with today’s technologically advanced, machine-blown techniques. The finished product charms the eye with its hand-crafted feel, colorful aesthetics and varietal-specific bowls.
With three generations of research, development and experience in creating wine-specific glassware, Georg Riedel & Maximilian J. Riedel have created RIEDEL Performance: the ultimate loudspeaker for fine wine. Lightweight, durable and dishwasher safe, RIEDEL Performance glasses are executed in sparkling fine crystal and feature long fine stems and large stable bases. RIEDEL Performance’s unique optic impact not only adds a pleasing visual aspect to the bowl, but also increases the inner surface area, allowing the wine to open up and to fully show every aroma and subtle nuance. The grape varietal-specific shapes in RIEDEL Performance, when combined with the optic impact, deliver ultimate wine enjoyment.
The perfect ‘must have’ glasses for all cocktails and mixed drinks. With four different designs, inspired by the glamorous Art Nouveau period, these elegant, decorated crystal tumblers present a contrast to RIEDEL’S purist, unadorned wine glasses. Spirits and cocktail connoisseurs will enjoy discovering the versatility of these stylish, yet subtly nostalgic, glasses for the enjoyment of Whisky, Gin and Tonic, Cocktails and mixed drinks alike.
RIEDEL Fatto A Mano Performance (2019)
Spectacular and graceful with optical impact
First presented in 2019 RIEDEL Fatto A Mano Performance is a combination of two successful series and marries refined craftsmanship (for the stem and the base) and the precision of a machine (for the bowl). RIEDEL Fatto A Mano Performance consists of four parts and is produced in the factory in Kufstein. The glasses in this series are made of crystal glass and are dishwasher safe.
All drinks can be traced back to 7 Classics. The Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Daiquiri, Sour, Peasant, Buck and Julep. With the 8 different glasses, you will be able to make thousands of drinks based on those original 7 Classics. RIEDEL added an all-purpose glass and a mixing glass to the collection to complete the range. Each glass was created with specific attention to size, shape, volume and capacity for ice.
Extreme was developed in sensory workshops by experts and is specially designed for the optimum enjoyment of wines. Executed in clear, brilliant crystal by RIEDEL in Bavaria, Germany, Extreme perfectly shows the true colors and depths of the wine. These glasses feature a broad, angled, grape varietal-specific bowl, which enhances the wine’s aromas, opening up the wine to reveal every subtle nuance. Extreme delivers the wine perfectly onto the palate, balancing and harmonizing the fruit, acidity and tannins and highlighting the wine‘s delicious flavors.
A flat-bottomed glass, wide and reminiscent of the wing of an aircraft, complete with winglets. Over the course of a year, through many tastings and by making changes to shape, size and rim diameter, what began as one glass for one grape varietal developed into seven different glasses to represent the most popular grape varietals.
RIEDEL Winewings was born and was about to take flight!
moderate price and dishwasher safe
RIEDEL Veloce (2022)
Modern glass that impresses through its balance and haptics
RIEDEL Veloce is a new, impressive development based on state-of-the-art technology. The glass is taller than the Extreme and has a thinner stem and finer bowls. A specially developed machine, at RIEDEL‘s Weiden factory, enables us to draw stems that are equal to those made by hand by a master glassmaker. The base, with a diameter of 100 mm, is a new standard for large glass shapes and is the maximum that can be produced by machine.
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Instead of being functional and matched to the grape variety, the glasses of the RIEDEL Wine Friendly collection are designed for a specific purpose. With this collection, RIEDEL is responding to a worldwide increase in demand for "easy to use" entry-level glasses. The collection was originally developed as a mise-en-place for the restaurant industry, where universal glasses are preferred due to limited storage space.
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