Riedel glass tasting Sydney with Georg Riedel

10th generation and patriach of the famous Riedel glass making family Georg Riedel is in town, and last night presented a fascinating new generation glass tasting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney. “The VINUM XL (2009) is positioned as the new generation of RIEDEL wine glasses. It was developed for big, bold and concentrated wines. VINUM XL is executed in lead crystal, machine blown in Bavaria, Germany.” Historically wine glasses were about displaying wealth and not displaying the charectistics of the wine, he tells us, until that is his family as recently as the 1950s commenced development of their now world famous varietal glasses.

I wanted to know more! The invitation said that the evening was “an opportunity to learn with Georg who will show you that glass shape really does matter” and that he did. What was surprising however was that we started the evening using the three red wine glasses (Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon) Vinum XL with an additional fourth glass to taste water. This intrigued me and started the road to discovery and to proving the point – a glass can make the difference in tasting.

Mr Riedel stood on the podium at the front of the Four Seasons Ballroom. He is charming and captivating. How amazing! The water I poured from the same bottle definitely did taste different from each of the glasses. Unlike the majority in the room, my water preference was from the Pinot Noir glass which pours to the front of the mouth and highlighted the minerality of the water.

Like his contemporary Sydney visitor Heston Blumenthal, Mr Riedel reminded us about our senses. Taste  is acknoweldged by the receptors in the tongue, but flavour is more and includes the sense of smell – aroma. The enjoyment of wine also includes the sense of touch – which we call mouthfeel. I should have had a voice recorder as our host was so much more elegant in his descriptions.

Then as we started on our reds, we tipped our glasses on the tables, and watched the different shapes of wine that approach the lip in the pouring. The demonstration made sense. But the tasting said it all. Each of the three wines was tasted from each of the three Vinum XL glasses. Each wine was most definitely at its best in the appropriate varietal glass. I’m convinced!

And the wines you ask? We tasted Australian wines – Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 2008 (Mornington Peninsula), Two Hands Lily’s Garden Shiraz 2009 (McLaren Vale) and Sticks No. 29 Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Yarra Valley) – during the glass tasting.

Rebecca Varidel was a guest of Riedel Australia

Riedel The Wine Glass Company