Did a little search and couldn’t find many reviews or experiences with these glasses. They are fairly new, so possibly that could be why?
Anyway, I ended up buying 2 of the champagne glasses yesterday with my AMEX saks credit. After the credit only cost $10 so I figure not a big loss if I don’t like them. Most the glasses seem somewhat similar and self explanatory. I was a bit taken by the champagne though with such a big bowl, almost like a coupe. I’ve got some good Champagne to drink and while it’ll still taste great out of a plastic flute…been looking for something fun to pull out when we open these along the line.
Any thoughts?
Riedel Winewings
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The Champagne glass looks a bit like a Josephine knock-off. The red wine glass borrows the design but, in my opinion, looks bizarre with that width. As for the champagne glass, I certainly wouldn’t compare that to a coupe, and think that most here (not all) will agree that a large bowl is preferable for Champagne.
Overall I moved on from Riedel a long, long time ago and don’t look back, but at $10 a glass it’s an interesting shape and there’s little risk. Let us know how they work out.
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I believe that’s driven by a desire to increase the aromas released, at the cost of preserving the bubbles (which the traditional flute was designed for.
Not a riedel-led thing, as people had been using white wine glasses for that purpose
It’s to maximize the aromas of the wine. Not sure what brand the glass was, but I’ve had champagne out of similar wide bottomed glass like the Winewings. I got a lot more on the nose at the expense of killing way too many bubbles leading to a slightly flat mouthfeel.
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That’s what Im a bit uneasy about. I love the aroma of a great champagne, but I also enjoy the effervescence of the champagne. I suppose it will be an intresting test…side by side with a flute and a tulip.
I was back and forth between the winewings and also the Dom Perignon Riedel glass. I went with the winewings since I’ve got a couple tulip style glasses already(Stolzle Lausitz Prestige), although nothing quite as nice as the DP Riedel glass.
I’m a bit new to all the glassware makers, but you are totally right…looks very much like the Josephine you mention. Although, the champagne glass does look more like a traditional tulip and not wide bottomed like the winewings.
I totally agree that it is not a coupe in the normal sense, I guess I just meant with the wide bottom, quite different from most champagne glassware I am used to. You mention most would agree that a large bowl is preferable for a champagne…does it diminish the bubbles?
I’ve never found it to be an issue, but for me I’ll take the significant increase in nose and the improved palate performance that comes with it (in my opinion of course) as a tradeoff for somewhat diminished bubbles any day. In younger champagne I can’t recall ever having any issue with lack of bubbles, even after a night open in the refrigerator on the somewhat rare occasions that occurs. I am typically drinking out of Grassl cru these days, but Gabriel Glas Gold, Zalto, and Glasvin are all solid in my opinion. Some of the others, including the Josephine and the Sensory, I have not tried.
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At 10 bucks, what do you have to lose? Do some side-by-sides with your existing glasses. If you don’t like it for Champagne, I am sure you will find them good for still roses and whites. Definitely report back on what you think of them, I am curious on what you think of them since I suspect young champagne will shine through.
For me, I have Proseccos, Cavas, and Cali Sparklers in my cellar that I would give a second thought due to their lower carbonation.
I just use Riedel Extreme Champagne glasses for bubbly and we often use them for rose/delicate whites. They hit a a compromise between being inexpensive, preserving the bubbles (and the resultant mouthfeel), capturing the aromas, and matching the look of the Schott Zwiesel Pure Burgundy glasses we use for day-to-day drinking.
We bought a few of these glasses. The best are the Champagne glasses. They have a nice feel and seem to bring out the nose. So far the 6 we bought have survived cycles in our Bosch dishwasher.
We have had less luck with the PN and CS Winewings.
I do recommend the Performance CS glass as an all round wine glass.
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Great to hear you enjoyed the champagne the best! They’re supposed to show up next week and am excited to give them a try. No dishwasher here…so hopefully my hands can handle a soft touch.
Thanks
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Well glasses finally arrived and I had a chance to get a quick test.
I first have to say how comical the shipping was. As I mentioned I ordered these from Saks 5th and it’s no wonder everything on the site is so darn expensive. Wrapped like…Mr. Bean
From left to right Riedel Winewings - ZENOLOGY SOMM Cabernet Sauvignon -Stolzle Lausitz Prestige - Basic Flute
I have to say, out of the box I was just a tad let down. The glasses felt bulky, heavy, and honestly not that delicate. The Zenology SOMM glasses I have are FAR more delicate than these glasses. Not sure if that equates to quality or not, but as for feeling in the hand I was a bit taken back.
Tried to do a blindfold and thick glove smell and tasting to try and be a true blind tasting. Although it was pretty obvious still what glass was what. I can say after first pouring the flute was dead last and the tulip was not that far behind. The SOMM had the biggest nose of them all and the Winewings were still expressive, just not as noticeable as the SOMM.
On the palate it was as nearly as I expected. Now do bear with me as I am no expert myself, so this is quite a basic description. But…the most noticeable difference in the glasses was the bubbles. As you might imagine the Winewings with the wide large bowl had the least bubble and it was noticeable. Drinking Champagne, I enjoy the bubbles and this was a bit of a different experience. As the wine warmed and opened in the glass things started to change. We poured right from the fridge, and it was probably a bit cold for the glassware to shine. After the Champagne had warmed a bit, I did another round with my nose. What a difference. While the flute was still dead, tulip was a bit better and the SOMM was still preforming great…the Winewings stole the show. It really opened up with time and temperature and I was truly impressed. After time the bubbles too had dissipated even more, but I found myself intrigued with the new and very subdued bubbles and quite enjoyed the new palate. I imagine drinking a stellar vintage would be a real treat.
While I still have my reservations with these glasses mostly do to the size and the un-delicate feel, I am still drawn to them at this point trying different whites and looking forward to trying some Krug 168 on our anniversary.
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Thank you for your review!
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I’ve had the Riedel Extreme Champagne glasses for years and still enjoy them as well. Agree with you that they strike a good balance by preserving the bubbles while letting the aromas shine.
Incidentally, the Schott Zweisel Tritan Forte Red glasses are my regular go-to glasses.
