Riedel takes on the BC Wine Appreciation Society

Okay, hands up all you Riedel fans. No, I mean way, way up. That’s better. Now I’m betting every one of you is going to understand right away when I say that Frank and I have a serious

problem when it comes to Riedel. You guessed it, neither of us have enough room for our collection of wineglasses.

So we had to chuckle when the BC Wine Appreciation Society kicked off their 2010/2011 season with the famous Riedel challenge – four wines, four Riedel Vinum XL glasses, plus a Joker glasses. Wines are transferred from glass to glass to see, smell, and taste the difference, and you get to keep the four Riedels at the end. Right, like either of us need four more stems.

Still, glasses get broken, and besides, it’s always fun to see the reaction when people try this experiment for the first time. So here’s an abbreviated recap of our little romp through the evening, starting with some interesting tidbits I’d never heard before about specific glasses. Frank graciously declined to gloat since he seemed to already have all this info filed in the mental databank.

· Riedel created the Vinum XL series’ Pinot Noir glass (6416/67 and shown above left) specifically to complement Oregon’s heartbreak grape… but only after 20 years of relentless pressure from the region’s wine producers.

· The Chardonnay glass (6416/57) is also used for Montrachet and is actually the Pinot Noir glass with the upper half inch or so trimmed off.

· Cactus Club restaurants experienced a 20% increase in wine sales when they began putting Riedel’s restaurant series glasses on the table.

· The expression “here’s mud in your eye” originated when, after the decanter had been emptied, people wanted one more for the road – the final inch of wine that’s left in the bottle of pedigreed Bordeaux or other fine red and filled with sludge and sediment. Mind you, if you google the expression, you’ll find pages of other explanations from rustic to religious. Personally, I like Riedel rep Dave Sanders’ story much better.

· One deep breath in downtown Los Angeles contains more lead than you would ingest from drinking a bottle of wine decanted in a leaded crystal decanter for an entire evening.

Mission Hill (pictured right) kindly donated the wines for this evening, and the line up was impressive. First, 2009 Mission Hill Reserve Riesling in the Riesling Grand Cru glass (6416/51) –

Frank’s desert island glass. If you’re ever shipwrecked on an island with one glass and a wine cellar, this is the one to have. The wine was crisp and fresh with the anticipated delightfully petrol nose. Moved to the Joker, there was a collective gasp of surprise as this award-winning vintage turned dead on the nose, acidic on the palate, and retained not a hint of petrol. In the Chardonnay glass, it exhibited some apricot and peach, but the petrol was still missing.

Full on buttery and smooth in the correct glass, sipping the 2007 Reserve Chardonnay from the Joker glass was only marginally better than flat Perrier water, and in the Riesling glass it turned outright bitter.

By now, people around us were getting the idea, so there were fewer expressions of amazement when the big, aromatic 2005 SLC Merlot (served in the 6416/00 Cabernet Sauvignon glass

first) lost all its huge blackberry taste with beautifully integrated tannins and morphed into obscurity in both the Chardonnay and Riesling stems.

My favourite of the evening was the 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir, but not when we transferred it to the Chardonnay glass where it, too, became nondescript except for a lingering bad aftertaste. In the joker glass it was sharp and bitter the whole way. Tip from Dave: if you’re dining out and they don’t have a Pinot Noir glass, ask for a brandy snifter.

By the time the tasting was over, we’d sampled each wine from each glass. You could tell the folks who hadn’t done this experiment before, because they were the ones walking out of the hotel still shaking their heads. For us, it was just as much fun as the first time we tried it. We just had more room to store the glasses we got that first time.

1996 Prado Enea from Bodegas Muga

Sometimes we figure we just need a treat – no special occasion, just a treat for the sake of it. One such evening a couple of weeks ago, we popped the cork on a bottle of 1996 Prado Enea from Bodegas Muga.

“Massive fruit, subtlety, maturity, complexity, and elegance” was the descriptor in John Radford’s classic book The Wines of Rioja. Massive fruit indeed. The aroma was like jumping feet first into an ocean of dark, luscious berries without a life preserver – but then, who’d want one when you’re surrounded by this much heady fragrance?

“The notes from the winemaker said ‘medium depth’,” Frank volunteered, naturally having already done the research. “So why do I want to say: oh go on, learn to toot your own horn?”

We soon discovered this wine stands up to even the ISO glasses. Chocolate and a subtle note of leather began to emerge as the evening wore on, but it was the contemplative nature we perhaps enjoyed most – feeling the heart and soul of the winemaker and the soil.

At one point, Frank brought out two Amarone/Burgundy glasses just because. His eyes went wide as he sniffed. “Oh god, if you thought this was in your face berry, it’s slap your cheek berry out of these ones.” Still, we agreed it was also a bit sloppy on the tongue and went back to our Riedel Tempranillo stemware.

No question, this is a wine to linger over. It needs conversation more than food but goes well with either. One to remember.

THE DETAILS:
- Prado Enea Gran Reserva 1996
- 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano
- Aged for 12 months in wooden vats, 36 months in oak barrels, and at least 36 months in bottle
- This bottle cost $63 and was found at our local BC Liquor Store

THE TRIVIA:
- Bodegas Muga employs four full-time coopers to repair and rebuild their 18,000-litre tinas as well as to look after the bodega’s casks
- All wines are in oak – this wine producer uses no stainless steel, fiberglass, or concrete tanks
- The bodega was founded in 1932 when most people were sitting back waiting for the next upturn in Spain’s economy

The Great Champagne Flute Caper

The plan was simple. A few dozen oysters, some champagne, bury our noses in couple of good novels – a much deserved, lazy Saturday afternoon. Simple, really simple. Frank volunteered to do battle with the holiday traffic and forage for our living room picnic.

He’s gone a long, long time.

F: Hi honey, traffic sucked. Oh and I made a bit of a detour to the wine store – and a couple of other stops.

Uh oh! Frank’s detours usually involve some new gadget, obscure culinary ingredient, or a vintage bottle for the collection. Still, grasped tightly in hand are a bag from our favourite oyster shop, a bottle that looks remarkably like champagne, and a box marked Riedel.

F: Had to improvise on the champagne – must have been a run on the one we wanted. Found some great new flutes though.

S: What on earth has he done now? New flutes might be nice. And what champagne did you find, dear? There’s something he isn’t telling me, I can smell it.

F: Seaview Brut. Better ratings than the $35 Vu Cliquoit and way less expensive – just over $12 actually. Got a bit carried away on the glasses, but oh well.

S: The glasses look a little… weird. He bought us a $12 bottle of champagne after the week we’ve both had? So how much did they cost?

F: Forty-five dollars. Riedel’s Vinum Extreme. They’re supposed to enhance the taste of the champagne.

S: Now let me get this straight. You just bought us a $12 bottle of champagne and spent $45 on champagne glasses that look like a lesson in geometry? This time, I’m afraid he’s lost it totally.

F: Well actually it was $45 each.

S: So you’re saying there’s something fundamentally wrong with our $5 flutes? Not to mention there isn’t another square inch of free storage space anywhere in the kitchen or the dining room.

F: Apparently, but look at it as a taste test, an adventure. They’d better be good or I’m going to have a heck of a time justifying $90. Ready for some oysters?

The shucking board, lemon, and oyster knives magically appear on the kitchen counter. There’s the comforting sound of a bottle being placed in a bucket of ice, followed almost immediately by the rhythmic sound of shells cracking open.

S: And exactly why are these supposed to be so much better than what we always use? I can’t wait to hear this one.

F: Technological breakthrough. Apparently, Riedel spent thousands on research so the champagne hits your tongue in exactly the right spot. Mind you, I like Robert Parker’s explanation better – it’s flat out hedonistic indulgence.

S: Okay, so hedonistic is good. It better be at this price.

Twenty minutes later, our urban picnic is on the coffee table – three types of oysters, a $12 bottle of champagne, and $90 worth of champagne glasses. Frank pours taste testers into the two new additions to the glass collection and another into the cheapie flutes we’ve used successfully for parties, impromptu visits, and for no special reason special evenings.

S: Hmm. Well I have to admit the bubbles look different – more concentrated in the center of the glass and stronger.

F: Better nose too. Check it out. Ha, she’ll have to admit the nose is better too.

S: Okay, so you’re right – better nose. All right, tasting time.

There’s a lengthy pause. We stare at each other in silence.

F: Crisper on the palette, longer finish.

We alternate sips from each glass. No question – better nose, better finish, more crispness. It’s just plain better out of the Reidel. And the bubbles are still strong. Neither of us mentions that the contents of the $5 regulars are both virtually flat already. Neither one will ever admit to being the one who discreetly removed the $5 flutes.

S: And there are how many different glasses in this line?

F: Oh a bunch. You know, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cab, New World Chardonnay, Old World Chardonnay…

S: Hold it, there are two different glasses depending on where the Chardonnay is made? And exactly how many is “a bunch?” Do I really want to know?

F: About 30. Ready for more oysters?

Over the next two months, the wine glass collections mysteriously grew by a factor of about 500%. We even discovered the correct glass for Tempranillo, a varietal we were only just beginning to love. Eight months later, while entertaining an enthusiastic if eclectic group of friends, we heard a crash from the general direction of the kitchen. As we swept up the remains of the now infamous Reidel Vinum Extreme Champagne flutes, we exchanged glances. No need to say anything, the next day’s schedule would include a trip to the stemware store.

FYI: two of our favourite Vancouver spots to shop for Reidel (and a whole bunch of other interesting stuff) are Puddifoot’s in Vancouver and Herzog Crystal in West Vancouver. Surprisingly, neither have a web page so you’ll just have to visit in person.

Susan Note:

This story actually occurred at the beginning of our serious exploration of the world of wines. Today, although Frank still uses the ISO glasses for official tastings, neither of us think twice about expanding the Reidel collection. To the on-going amusement of many of our friends, we’ve also convinced our favourite pub to let us tuck a matched pair of red and white Reidel glasses behind the bar. What can we say? The wine there just tastes better now.

Two Gifts At Christmas

Frank’s Tip

If you’re looking for Christmas gifts for your favorite wine geek and you think they have everything, I just came across a perfect answer from Riedel. The Riedel Pink “O” Champagne Glass.

Not only are this flute’s design and colour eye-catchingly innovative and unique, but this is a glass that gives twice. Part of the sales proceeds from each and every one of these glasses will go to Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a non-profit organization that aids woman with this terrible disease.

So when you wrap up a pair of Riedel Pink “O” Champagne Glass to give to your favorite geek, you’ll actually have given two Christmas presents. Your wine geek has a new design and colour to try, and women everywhere will benefit from much-needed funds for ongoing research and support. A winning combination for sure.

Hint to family and friends: I still have a little room in the glass cabinet. I could fit a couple of these in. No honestly, I really can.

www.riedel.com