MUGA Day #42: Napa--The Ultimate Wine Glasses

I'm still on Kenji's Golf Safari, so the least I can do is to show a photo of Kenji contemplating two bottles of Kirin:

We keep coming back to Umi Sushi because all drinks are two for one and the food is tolerable.  For those who don't know Kenji Sumida, he is the leader of our safari, a former Air Force General, and was at one time president of the East West Center.  Well enough for that.

Today, I feature wine glasses.  Sadly, our wine adventure on the course used paper cups.  You can do better.  While you can find more expensive glasses, Riedel wine glasses tend to be used by the best restaurants around the world.  This Austrian company has been around for three centuries.  How can you tell if you have a Riedel?  Slowly twirl the glass and watch the bottom of the base toward the edge.  The make of the glass will be indicated.

There are three primary kinds of Riedel glasses.  The everyday ware, or Vinum ($20-$30/glass), the swirl  type (left) with no stem ($12-15 each), and the Sommeliers collection, which goes for a hundred dollars each ($50-$125, depending on type), more or less.  The ultimate Cabernet/Bourdeaux glass can hold 30 ounces (remember, a full 750 ml bottle contains around 26 ounces), and you can today get one for $105 at Amazon.com.  How can you tell Vinum from Sommeliers?  The latter is larger, the glass is thinner and the harmonics when you cling glasses go on forever.

When you splurge on an expensive restaurant, if you order one serving or a not so expensive bottle of wine, you will invariably be provided Vinum glasses.  Only when you indulge in a "more expensive" wine will you generally be honored with the $100 ultimate.  

These are the basic shapes for various wines:

Mind you, there are critics of Riedel.  Here is a blog on "The greatest trick Riedel ever played was convincing the wine world..."

It gets worse, for these expensive crystals can have a lead oxide concentration exceeding 40%, and most medical reports indicate that you should be careful, for this metal can leach into your wine.  Riedel glasses most certainly are NOT lead free.  Most definitely, don't regularly store your wine in Riedel glasses.  

In a way, it is ironic that lead-free glasses are much cheaper.  What are the symptoms?  diminished intelligence, impaired behavioral development (particularly children and pregnant women, not from drinking wine, but from paint and other lead sources), impaired hearing and inhibited growth. See a doctor if you have been drinking too much wine from Riedel glasses, and think you are a victim, for there are chelation treatment options to remove lead from your body.

I recommend using titanium glasses.  Schott Zwiesel, for example, sells a mix of titanium and zirconium instead of lead, and not only is it cheaper and safer, it is more resistant to cracking and scratching.  Amazon.com sells these Titan glasses for $10 each.  I've dropped this glass and it bounced on the floor, although, I wouldn't try this on purpose, as I've also cracked one.  You can bang it on the counter very carefully with some confidence.  Ravenscroft lead free wine glasses also sell for $10 as another option.

It gets cheaper and safer with Govino polymer shatterproof and recyclable glasses, where a set of four will set you back $12.95.  

-