The Riedel Master Class 2014, hosted by Grech Catering Supplies last month at Le Méridien Hotel & Spa, St Julian’s, introduced three red varietal wine glasses.
Riedel Glassworks vice-president for sales in southern Europe, Marco Baldini, from Chianti, Italy, conducted the session, which also featured a tasting of the all-new glass developed specifically to drink Coca-Cola.
The current direction of this 250-year-old glass manufacturer was first pursued in 1958 by Klaus Riedel, grandfather of the current CEO Maximilian. He created the clean glass design in which form is the slave of function.
Participants experienced the dynamics of the three red varietal wine glasses − designed for drinking Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon varietal wines − by drinking cold water.
The first directs the wine to the front of the mouth; the second brings in the sides of the mouth; and the third allows the entire mouth to experience the feeling.
The three wines tasted on the night were an Albert Bichot Bourgogne Pinot Noir, a Syrah from Clos de Gat Winery in Israel and a Saint-émilion Grand Cru from Château Mondotte Bellisle.
Baldini illustrated how each wine was best experienced with its specific glass and how the other two were not engineered to enhance the perception of each varietal.
The second and third wines were paired with two types of Lindt chocolate, the Syrah with chocolate with a hint of chilli pepper and the Cabernet Sauvignon with dark chocolate.
The Riedel Coca-Cola glass was then introduced, illustrating how a glass can make a ubiquitous beverage like Coca-Cola taste more elegant, with smaller and fewer bubbles while enhancing the taste sensations.
Baldini said top Coca-Cola executives in Atlanta, the US, were asked to sample no fewer than 30 different shapes of glasses before the new design was approved.
Finally, a sample of the extensive Riedel decanter collection was displayed, all designed by Maximilian himself and handmade in Austria.
These allow the wine to breathe much faster and are becoming well accepted in a number of top, local restaurants as well as in private homes.
A similar event for the trade was hosted the same week, with the addition of two more glasses, the generic ‘degustazione’ glass and the oaked chardonnay white wine glass.