Sommeliers Mature Bordeaux Riedel

Wines from classified Bordeaux châteaux have tremendous ageing potential. 

In fact, when stored in perfect conditions Bordeaux can mature for a hundred years or more - and such venerable wines can offer an incomparable tasting experience. Late-ripening, small-berried clusters of Cabernet Sauvignon produce a wine with powerful tannic structure, and it is this that gives the wine its unique longevity. Bottle ageing develops both the color and the aromas, fusing together and rounding out the tannins to the point that the wine tastes even better than it smells. 

This stage marks a plateau from which the wine will slowly start to decline in quality. And it is at precisely this point that this classic Sommeliers shape comes into its own. The glass offers a smaller 'breathing space' than that for the Bordeaux Grand Cru, thereby de-emphasising the aromas of age. Reduced tannin levels are revived on the palate, while the fruit is highlighted.

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 lead crystal, mouth blown in Austria.