Sommeliers Chianti Riedel

It was an Italian lawyer and owner of a famous Tuscan winery who made Georg Riedel aware that his range featured only glasses dedicated to French grape varieties. 

Stung into action, Riedel began working with the oenologist Dr. Walter Filliputti to research the characteristics of the Sangiovese grape variety and the optimum shape with which to set off its delicate qualities. Sangiovese is native to the stony soils of the Tuscan hills, where most vineyards are sited at an altitude of 1000-2000 feet. Intense sun on steep slopes with poor soils results in medium-bodied wines with good acidity, minerals and tannins. 

The shape of this glass brings out the characteristic Chianti bouquet of cherry and bitter almonds. On the palate it helps the wine to gain fruit and suppleness, with the acidity and tannins making for a complex finish. The glass was officially presented at a tasting in Florence on 11 June 1991, where it was warmly acclaimed by leading winemakers of the region.

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.