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Riedel Grape Series Riesling Glass (twin pack) (6404/15)
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From its beginnings in northern Bohemia down to this day, for 11 generations and 250 years, Riedel Glass has stood for the high art of glassmaking. So much more than mere receptacles, Riedel decanters and glasses are imbued with the idiosyncrasies of the wine they are charged to accentuate, turning wine consumption into a graceful, prosaic experience.
The Riedel glass designs are based on the exceptional characteristics of each grape variety, which in turn determines the shape, size and rim diameter of the bowl.
The latest machine blown technology, in conjunction with the seamless pulled stem, offers a special design feature, which creates an indent on the bottom of the bowl, reflecting the light and adding another dimension to the lively color of wine.
Riesling in a paragraph (or three): Tracing back the origin of the name of any wine varietal throws up all measure of claims and counter-claims, some with a catalogue of historical written references, others with nothing but a familiar sounding locale. Riesling has its fair share, dating from as far back as 1348 where a map of Kintzheim from the Alsace region of modern day France (near the German border) ambiguously refers to ‘Russelinge’. However it is not until 1477 that there are more concrete references to a more familiar ‘Rissling’ in the same area. Whether they came from, or were the source of Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen in nearby Germany’s 1435 reference to ‘Rießlingen in die wingarten’ (Riesling for the vineyard’) is not known. It is, however, the noble high count’s passion for the varietal that seems to have lead to its propagation throughout the region. One shouldn’t forget, however, an old vineyard located in the Austrian village of Ritzling, whose name, locals claim, is simply too close to the modern pronunciation to be anything but the source.
Modern DNA fingerprinting has culled many of the tales and myths surrounding the parentage of today’s table wines, somewhat reducing the romance along the way. Riesling fairs particularly poorly from this genetic analysis, with research identifying the ‘peasant grape’ Gouais blanc as one parent, and Traminer (a forerunner to ancient Sauvignon) crossed with a wild vine, as the other. As is the way with many of our modern varieties, however, it is this ability to mutate and cross-pollinate which has seen its genetic code survive. Pleasing the palate of a German Count didn’t hurt either.
Renowned for its fruity, aromatic flavour, Riesling, particularly new world vintages, are commonly drunk young, when their crisp, zesty tannins are at their impetuous peak. The great irony is that it is the same high fruit and sugar content that produces these characters, that also allows Rieslings to age for decades in cellars without ruin, and in many cases improving the wine. Certainly sweet Rieslings have a reputation for successful cellaring, with some German varieties lasting over a hundred years in the dark before being drunk. And in Bremen they even have barrels stored in the town hall with wines (including Riesling) that date back to the vintage of 1653.
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