Hi all,
I haven't seen any posts regarding this, but I did read
something in the last few months about Riedel purchasing
a competitor - and I think it was Spigelau. I remember
wondering which company design would influence the other,
and how Riedel vs. Spigelau might become a non issue.
Did this happen? Was I dreaming?

Dick R.

in article , Dick R. at
wrote on 4/19/05 9:10 AM:

> Hi all,
> I haven't seen any posts regarding this, but I did read
> something in the last few months about Riedel purchasing
> a competitor - and I think it was Spigelau. I remember
> wondering which company design would influence the other,
> and how Riedel vs. Spigelau might become a non issue.
> Did this happen? Was I dreaming?
>
> Dick R.

You're not dreaming.

> Wine Spectator
>
> Posted: Wednesday, September 22, 2004

> Two Prominent Stemware Producers Merge; Riedel Crystal Buys Spiegelau

>
> By Nick Fauchald
>
> Wine fanatics may continue to debate the merits of Riedel stemware versus
> Spiegelau for their home wine service. But now the competing brands are both
> owned by the same company.
>
> Austria-based Riedel Crystal, whose stemware is popular among enophiles, has
> purchased one of its main competitors, the parent company of German glass
> manufacturer Spiegelau, making Riedel the world's largest producer of
> wineglasses. In addition to the Spiegelau line, F.X. Nachtmann A.G. produces
> glassware under the Marc Aurel brand.

"Midlife" > skrev i meddelandet
...
> in article , Dick R. at
> wrote on 4/19/05 9:10 AM:
>
<...>

>> Two Prominent Stemware Producers Merge; Riedel Crystal Buys Spiegelau

.... and will they henceforth be known as Riedelau?

Nils Gustaf

--
Respond to nils dot lindgren at drchips dot se

"Dick R." > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
> I haven't seen any posts regarding this, but I did read
> something in the last few months about Riedel purchasing
> a competitor - and I think it was Spigelau. I remember
> wondering which company design would influence the other,
> and how Riedel vs. Spigelau might become a non issue.
> Did this happen? Was I dreaming?
>
> Dick R.

Does anyone even care?

balleyhoo wrote:
> "Dick R." > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Hi all,
>>I haven't seen any posts regarding this, but I did read
>>something in the last few months about Riedel purchasing
>>a competitor - and I think it was Spigelau. I remember
>>wondering which company design would influence the other,
>>and how Riedel vs. Spigelau might become a non issue.
>>Did this happen? Was I dreaming?
>>
>>Dick R.
>
>
> Does anyone even care?
>
>
If Spiegelau is going to cost as much as Riedel then some people will

Is it just my impression, or has this group lately gotten more than its
usual ration of clutter?

(You know, the sort of postings that made up all of the traffic in r.f.d,
some years after the wine postings moved over here.)

It seemed a while ago as if the Central Committee here had been pretty good
at "dealing with" the hard cases. For everything else, there's Masterc --
Sorry, for everything else, there's patience. (Almost all of them go away
within five years, many sooner.)

Cheers -- Max


--------
"At times the entire nation seems to resemble a gigantic kindergarten
fifteen minutes after the teacher has left the room. The big kids are
hitting the little kids, the little kids are screaming and eating the
crayons, and everyone is peeing in the sandbox."

-- Roger Price, _The Great Roob Revolution_ (1970), page 14

> ...
> It seemed a while ago as if the Central Committee here had been pretty
> good at "dealing with" the hard cases. ...


" `Good evening, Comrades. Let us smoke.' General G. took out a packet of
Moskwa-Volga cigarettes and lit one with an American Zippo lighter. There
was a clicking of lighters round the table."

-- Ian Fleming, _From Russia with Love_ (1957).

Dick R. wrote:

> Hi all,
> I haven't seen any posts regarding this, but I did read
> something in the last few months about Riedel purchasing
> a competitor - and I think it was Spigelau. I remember
> wondering which company design would influence the other,
> and how Riedel vs. Spigelau might become a non issue.
> Did this happen? Was I dreaming?
>
> Dick R.

I just hope they don't start making Spigelaus more breakable. That seems
to be the catch with Riedel's thin stems. They sell more that way, but
no longer to me.

If they make Spigelaus more fragile or raise the price substantially,
I'll be searching for another maker, or maybe I should make my own ...

I personally think the range of sizes and shapes today is ridiculous. If
someone came along with good, tougher glasses, like Spigelau today, with
a more limited line, I think they could own the upper end restaurant
market (like Spigelau does today). Production costs might be the
clincher though, but once you overcome economies of scale ...

Thomas Curmudgeon > wrote:

> I just hope they [Riedel] don't start making Spi[e]gelaus more
> breakable. That seems to be the catch with Riedel's thin stems.
> They sell more that way, but no longer to me.

Rubbish, sorry. Making thinner stems would increase production
costs substantially und would mean higher prices - and lesser
sales. I don't see any rationale in this strategy.

M.

Michael Pronay wrote:

> Thomas Curmudgeon > wrote:
>
>
>>I just hope they [Riedel] don't start making Spi[e]gelaus more
>>breakable. That seems to be the catch with Riedel's thin stems.
>>They sell more that way, but no longer to me.
>
>
> Rubbish, sorry. Making thinner stems would increase production
> costs substantially und would mean higher prices - and lesser
> sales. I don't see any rationale in this strategy.
>
> M.

No, higher sales. If you increase breakage you increase sales, unless
the customer gets wise and buys a stronger glass. Then they go down. Who
knows what their production is like. I'm sure they ironed the kinks out
of it over time.