non-Flutes

[Concordia]

That's "Riedel," of course.

And I was referring to the tulip shape,

http://ww5.williams-sonoma.com/cat/pip. ... t%20of%202

http://www.surlatable.com/common/produc ... FNBR=15093

not the straight-sided variety.

[alden]

Concordia

The Riedel glass I like for drinking Champagne is the Zinfandel or Chianti glass:

http://www.surlatable.com/common/produc ... edProducts

Its shape is similar to the Darsonville glass.

[Concordia]

Might restore in bouquet what it lacks in visual elegance. I can think of some chewier bubblies that might benefit from such scrutiny. I sense the need for a little primary research...

[Cufflink79]

Cuffthis:
The meal sounded great. Did you dress up for it?

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[cuffthis]

Cuffthis:
The meal sounded great. Did you dress up for it?

Unfortunately, no. But I should have.

[E. Tage Larsen]

Gentlemen:

I received a number of Riedel Sommelier Champagne flutes as a gift for the holidays. A recent dinner party put them to fine service.

As we've discussed earlier, their shape is quite comely, however there's something about the balance and the stem that feels off, and not the same caliber as the other Sommelier works. For this reason, I'm doubly inclined to take Alden's recommendation for the Zinfandel stemware.

[mpolanthan]

Can anyone comment on a company called L'esprit et le vin? They have an etched champagne glass that is supposed to enhance the drinking experience:
http://www.espritetlevin.fr/fr/decouv/article8.htm

This glass comes up once in a while on a popular wine forum though it would seem that the etching would impede the sight of the bubbles.

[chrismaeda]

I respectfully beg to disagree with the dismissal of the wide breast-shaped champagne glasses. Yes, the fizz evaporates faster due to the greater surface area, but one can mitigate by pouring small glasses and keeping the bottle close. I buy these up in antique stores whenever I find them and I think it is quite elegant to drink one's brut rose in them.

[couch]

For everyday use I like the Spiegelau Authentis line, which like the Riedel Sommelier line is shaped for specific wine types. Each type has a very slighlty more angular shape than the Riedel, one that works well for me. They are very nearly as thin as the Riedel, but because Spiegelau has developed a process to draw the stems by machine rather than attach them, they are more affordable. And they are superb tasting glasses. A relatively new addtion to this line, I believe (I've only recently seen it) is their Champagne glass (they also have a taller flute) which is very close to the Darsonville shape (perhaps just a shade wider at the rim).

Here's the Amazon link with a photo:

http://www.amazon.com/Spiegelau-Authent ... B00005Y1E6

[H. Norman]

I have used and broken my fair share of Riedel glasses over the years but I think it is a fair price to pay for the beautiful balance between function and aesthetics. For champagne I find the Vinum series vintage shape to be very satisfactory, the bubbles rise up in an elegant stream due to the roughened point at the base of the flut and the balance is better than the Sommelier series, especially when the flute is full. Wide breast-shaped glasses are a nightmare to drink from, one moment of distraction will end up with half of your glass on your shirt as the liquid rushes forward like the tide.

To drink champagne in the Riedel chianti glass, the champagne itself must be of higher quality with a good bouquet and full body. The mass market champagne, or even some vintage from the Grande Marques, are nowadays fermented in giant industrial stainless steel vats and the grapes bought in bulk from various producers with differing quality and characteristics around Reims and Epernay. This kind generally has a very weak bouquet and a green taste in addition to unbalanced acidity and stringent finish. Only Krug and vintage Bollinger, to my knowledge, still painstakingly carry out the fermentation in small, 200 litre oak barrells that impart a richer bouquet and a fuller body with yeasty and nutty overtone. I always find Krug the most wine-like champagne with its richness and complexity that it should be treated with respect and drunk from glasses shaped like the Riedel vinum chianti or tulip with a generous proportions.

[leiter]

Does anyone have contact information for Darsonville? The article to which Alden originally linked is no longer available online.