Tuesday, April 13, 2004

'O' well, so much for the Stem
I go to all that trouble of describing how to hold a wine glass using the stem. And what happens? Reidel comes out with a stemless wine glass. Its called the 'O' and its an exact copy of the Reidel Vinum bowl shape, minus the stem. That means you can get the tall Cabernet/Merlot, or the shorter, squatter Pinot/Nebbiolo, or the tiny Chardonnay/Viognier. And once you have those you might as well get the the squat and really fat Burgundy/Montrachet, the much narrower Zin/Riesling/Sauvignon blanc, and the tall and tight Syrah/Shiraz. These glasses are being marketed as ideal for drinkling everyday wines, and even non wine beverages. But why stemless? Well the argument is that they take up less cabinet space and fit more easily into the dishwasher. The second point is probably true, although its not necessarily a good thing to wash wine glasses in detergent, especially if it has an sort of odor. A good wash in hot water and a thorough drying with a lint-free cloth is all that is necessary. As to a stemless glass saving cabinet space! Not unless you stack them and the 'O' does not look like it will take being piled one upon the other.

Nice try Maximilian. That's Maximilian Riedel, an 11th generation Reidel, for whom the 'O' represents his first glass series.