World Tourism Day

What type of glassware is the best fit for your establishment ?

Serveral RIEDEL glasses with specific food and wine for different countries

Ahead of World Tourism Day on September 27, we break down which RIEDEL glasses are perfect for your establishment to keep customers and tourists coming back for more.

From Grape Varietal Specific glassware to cocktail glasses and everything in between.

Selecting the best glassware for your business can be tricky. Perhaps you have recently opened a new restaurant because of your love of food, but you're less experienced when it comes to drinks and glassware. Maybe your bar has limited storage space and you need to find quality glassware that is suited to a variety of drinks.

Finding the right solution can be frustrating, but it matters - a lot. The glassware a hotel, restaurant, or bar uses says a lot about its standards and the experience it offers. Getting it right can be the difference between a one-time visitor and securing repeat customers who recommend your establishment to their friends.

Why use RIEDEL?

RIEDEL offers high-quality, functional glassware with specific options for every type of drink at a wide range of price points. RIEDEL is a family-run business that produces some of the world's finest crystal glassware in the heart of Europe and has done for 11 generations and more than 265 years. Using RIEDEL communicates to your customers that quality matters to you and that you are committed to providing them with a memorable experience.

So, which type of RIEDEL glassware is best for your business?

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Grape Varietal Specific wine glasses

If you run a specialist wine bar, a restaurant with a sommelier, or if you believe in the importance of presenting wine at its very best, RIEDEL Grape Varietal Specific glassware might be just what you need.

Each RIEDEL Grape Varietal Specific wine glass is specifically designed and developed to deliver the best of a particular grape or wine style's qualities, both on the nose and the palate. A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon benefits from being served in a specific glass that allows your wine to breathe and develop its rich dark fruit aromas while balancing and integrating the tannins on the palate. In contrast, a lighter wine like Pinot Noir will perform best in a shape that delivers red fruit flavors to your palate while balancing the wine's acidity and freshness. These two examples underline that each grape varietal has different attributes, and the best wine experience can only be delivered using Grape Varietal Specific glasses.

RIEDEL pioneered Grape Varietal Specific stemware with the launch of the Sommeliers Collection in 1973. This wine glass collection was the first in the world to feature shapes designed for specific wine enjoyment, and its release marked the start of a new approach to wine glass design. When RIEDEL released the best-selling Vinum series in 1986, this marked another first, as it became the company’s first machine-made Grape Varietal Specific range. From there, RIEDEL launched a number of collections specifically designed for use in the hospitality industry, ranging from affordable and durable glassware to luxurious handmade glasses and decanters. Recent additions include RIEDEL Winewings Collection, which won the Fine Glassware Category at the 2021 Tableware International Awards of Excellence.

If you feel concerned that this type of glassware is a little complicated, don't! While Grape Varietal Specific glassware is excellently suited to high-end restaurants and establishments that boast a sommelier, it can also be a fantastic choice for any hospitality venue looking to deliver an optimal wine experience to their guests. RIEDEL sales personnel and distributors are specially trained and knowledgeable in guiding you through the best glasses for your wine list. You can also access RIEDEL’s online wine glass guide to help you match specific wines to specific glasses.

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Wine Friendly wine glasses

As wonderful as they are, we understand that Grape Varietal Specific wine glasses aren't practical for everyone. If you are looking to keep things simple or optimize your storage space, RIEDEL's Wine Friendly glassware is an excellent alternative option to our Grape Varietal Specific glasses.

Wine Friendly glasses are ideal for anyone looking for glassware that can impress with a range of wines rather than one varietal, all while retaining the famous mark of quality that comes with a RIEDEL glass. The RIEDEL Wine Friendly glassware collection includes options for red wine, white wine, a stemless glass, and a decanter. It also includes the Wine Friendly Magnum glass, which is suited to red and white wine and is one of the most versatile wine glasses RIEDEL offers. Using this efficient glassware can be a great way of achieving mise en place in your establishment, which can make for more efficient and less stressful work.

So, if you desire high-quality glassware that enhances your guests' wine-drinking experience, but you want to keep your proposition simple, RIEDEL Wine Friendly glasses might be just what you are looking for.

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Cocktail and other glasses for your establishment

Of course, it isn't only about the wine. The increased popularity of cocktails in recent years has seen a surge in bars basing their business around them. Fortunately, RIEDEL offers quality crystal glassware for all types of beverages.

Hotels, restaurants, and bars specializing in cocktail-making need not look any further than RIEDEL’s Drink Specific Glassware range. Developed in collaboration with US spirits specialist Zane Harris and introduced in 2019, this series perfectly marries efficiency and specificity with different cocktail glasses that allow you to showcase an almost endless list of cocktails. In particular, this collection features glasses that are designed to accommodate large-format ice cubes.

If you want to deliver unforgettable gin and tonic experiences to your guests, RIEDEL offers specifically designed tumblers for your consideration. These glasses allow your gin’s aromas to develop deliciously and give you ample space to add lots of ice (we want the ice to chill the drink, not melt and dilute it).

Finally, when serving customers at your bar, restaurant, or hotel, it is best practice to offer all diners and drinkers water to go alongside their meal. Having a good water glass is therefore essential. We are pleased to offer several water and soft drink glassware options within our hospitality collections for establishments to consider.

We hope this is useful information and gives you a good idea regarding which glassware is best for your establishment. RIEDEL’s expert sales team and distributors are always on hand to offer further advice and guidance.