Please Note: Should you require other items from the current Riedel Product Portfolio, that are not listed on our website, please feel free to contact our Customer Services Team on 01494 670961.

We are happy to source any item you may require.

Riedel were the first company to design glass shapes according to the character of the contents, and subsequently the inventors of the functional wine glass.

The Riedel family history of producing some of the world's greatest crystal stemware stretches back over 240 years, though we have only been part of it since 1995.

Riedel Stemware is regarded as some of the finest wine glasses available in the world today. Ranges vary in price from their illustrious Sommeliers collection to their functional Vinum range.

"The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound. I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make."
(Robert M.Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate)

Their designs deliver the typical components of a particular grape variety, highlight the balance of flavours, maximise the fruit and integrate acidity or tannins into the overall pleasure of each wine. If served at the correct temperature they ensure the wine could not taste better.

The History of Riedel

The Riedel family has been in the glass business for 300 years, and is currently with the 11^th generation (Pictured).

The Riedel story begins in 1678 in the northern part of Bohemia, bordering Schlesia - today the Czech republic and Poland respectively. This part of Bohemia was a German speaking enclave known as the Sudetenland.

The Trademark

The Riedel trademark dates from the Art Nouveau period at the end of the nineteenth century, and was used for Riedel glassware made in Bohemia from 1890 to 1925. In 1996, to commemorate Riedel's 240th anniversary, they reintroduced this trademark for all their mouth - blown, hand - made products. The distinctive Riedel signature is now featured on the base of all these products made in Austria.

This signature trademark (Left) helps you to distinguish immediately between products that are hand - made and those made by machine (Right).

The Glasses

The glasses are designed to emphasize a wine's harmony, not faults. Riedel has always viewed the wine glass as an instrument to bring together: the personality of the wine, smell, taste, appearance (including the beauty of the object).

To fully appreciate the different grape varieties and the subtle characteristics of individual wines, it is essential to have a glass which has a shape fine-tuned for the purpose. The shape is responsible for the quality and intensity of the bouquet and the flow of the wine.

The initial contact point depends on the shape and volume of the glass, the diameter of the rim, and its finish (whether it is a cut and polished or rolled edge) as well as the thickness of the crystal.

As you put your wine glass to your lips, your taste buds are on the alert. The wine flow is directed onto the appropriate taste zones of your palate and consequently leads to different taste pictures. Once your tongue is in contact with the wine three messages are transmitted at the same time: temperature, texture and taste.

Riedel's guiding principle: The content determines the shape.