In article >, steve.slatcher@pobox
..com says...
>
>On 15 Feb 2005 15:16:54 GMT, Michael Pronay > wrote:
>
>>Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>>
>>>> But this was exactly what was reported he Even without
>>>> knowing people invariable chose the appropriate Riedel stem.
>>
>>> I see nothing in this thread to suggest that anyone prefers
>>> Riedel in a tasting that is in any sense blind.
>>
>>Quite apparently it was in the precursor thread.
>
>Which one was that?
>
>--
>Steve Slatcher
>http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher

Steve,

That part of the discussion was posted by CabFan (Gary) and follows:

"Let me first state that I sell wine retail, along with Riedel and Spiegelau
crystal. That being said....

While I agree that there is a good bit of "play" in the marketing aspect of
both companies (especially if you look at the 30+ different Vinum series
Riedel stems), I have yet to see anyone ever NOT prefer the Riedel stem for
a particular wine when compared to any other. For example, pour a taste of
a cabernet (or cabernet based wine) into your current favorite glass, a
Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stem and a Riedel Vinum Pinot Noir (or any other Vinum
series stem that you care to try --- I recommend the Pinot because they are
similarly sized) glass. Try each one and think about the wine and how you
experience it. The other requirement is that you pour the same wine, from
the same bottle, in all three (or how many ever) glasses so you truely see
the difference.

We contact a regular Riedel seminar in which there are 5 wines tasted: a
sparkling, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet. I
have personally conducted more than 20 of these seminars (average 18-20
people) over the past 3 years and ever single person has always preferred
the correct Riedel stem for a given wine.

I have also simply poured people wine in a couple of different stems and
asked them if they preferred the particular wine from any particular glass.
Many times, the people had never heard of Riedel (or Spiegelau) and yet they
too have always said they preferred it from the correct stem.

Now the other side of this coin is that I too was very skeptical when I
first heard this and so I can understand where you are coming from. And I
still don't know that I find very much, if any variation in a lot of the
stems (again, there's 30+ Vinum series and many of these are very close to
each other in size, shape, etc.). For everyday drinking, we use the
following stems (all from the Vinum series): Sparkling/Champagne, Sauvignon
Blanc, Chardonnay, Bordeaux/Cabernet/Merlot and Burgundy/Pinot Noir. We
also use the Zinfandel/Chianti stem when we travel or go out.

And yes, I am partial to Riedel over Spiegelau simply because that was the
first ones that I used. I believe you can use either with the same results
equally well.

The final, bottom line (in my opinion) is that you really should just enjoy
your wine, along with some good food and friends, in whatever particular
stemware you happen to prefer. That's why it's made.

Cheers,
Gary"

Hope that this helps,
Hunt