SOMMELIERS (1973): Professor CLAUS J. RIEDEL was the first designer to recognize that the bouquet, taste, balance and finish of wines are affected by the shape of the glass from which they are consumed. More than 50 years ago he began his pioneering work to create stemware that would match and complement different wines and spirits. In the late 1950s, RIEDEL started to produce glasses, which at that time were a design revolution. Thin-blown, unadorned, reducing the design to its essence: bowl, stem, base. Working with experienced tasters, RIEDEL discovered that wine enjoyed from his glasses showed more depth and better balance than when served in other glasses. CLAUS J. RIEDEL laid the groundwork for stemware which was functional as well as beautiful, and made according to the Bauhaus design principle: form follows function. In 1961 a revolutionary concept was introduced, when the Riedel catalogue featured the first line of wine glasses created in different sizes and shapes. Before this, conventional stemware had used a single basic bowl shape, with only the size varying depending on use. The concept was illustrated to perfection with the introduction of the Sommeliers series in 1973, which 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 don’t need to be a wine writer, a wine maker or an expert to taste the difference that a RIEDEL glass can make. SOMMELIERS is executed in crystal.

Glass series: SOMMELIERS VINTAGE PORT
Item number: 4400/60
Height: 172 mm, 6-3/4″
Capacity: 250 ccm, 8-3/4 oz
Widest diameter: 72 mm, 2-7/8″
Price Category: $$$
Fine Crystal
Port vintages are declared individually by each producer, depending on the year. After a relatively short time in oak the port is transferred to age in bottles, whose labels indicate the year of its harvest. Due to its high levels of concentration, residual sugars and alcohol, vintage port is able to preserve its freshness and fruit over many decades. This glass helps to bring out the classic aromas of vintage port: blackcurrant, pepper, truffles and smoky notes. These aromas can sometimes be masked by the pungency of port’s high alcoholic content – an effect that the small, slender shape of the glass succeeds in avoiding. All the luscious, fresh red fruit is brought to the fore, with acidity and tannins blending together in sweet harmony in the mouth. A pleasantly lingering aftertaste rounds off the delightful experience of drinking a good vintage port from this fine tuned instrument.