Riedel Vinum Bordeaux Grand Cru

My wife is a stemware connoisseur so we have several Riedel glasses. All of there glasses are fantastic. We only hand wash these as the glass is thin but there are several other Riedel glasses that we do put in the machine.

Having tried the Vinum line for years, and then more recently the Extreme line (love them) and the Vitis line, I wasn't sure what to expect but I wanted some really large Bordeaux glasses. What you should expect is a larger version of the classic Riedel Vinum Bordeaux glass. They're simply that, as opposed to the Extreme glass which is differently shaped and as tall but with a different ratio between the size of the bowl and the length of the stem. These have a relative bowl to stem ratio that is similar to the regular Vinum Bordeaux glass but blown up in size.If one cares, I have 2 of these, 2 of the Cab Extremes and 2 of the Vitis Cabs from Riedel. In addition to the regular Vinum Bordeauxs, of course. I bought these to drink my really big, cellared cabs.Finally, if you're reading this review, you're already a fan of Riedel, I presume, so I don't have to go into why fine glasses like these *do* make a difference in how your wine tastes. If people are interested, the biggest difference I've found is when I drink a great pinot out of the Riedel Oregon pinot glasses (which have a curved rim, Riedel calls them the XL Pinot Vinum) - oh, are those glasses beautiful! They are a finer, thinner glass too, similar to the one found in the Riedel Cabernet decanters.

I first learned of Riedel glassware about 15 years ago. First impression? Wa-a-a-ay too expensive.Then I learned the science behind the glass shape, the nose getting the best impression of the wine, the way the wine is presented on the tongue at precisely the place. Oh, I know. It's sounds ridiculous. But, when I did a taste test using a juice glass, highball glass, what I thought were my nice wine glasses and the Riedel VInum -- well, you know. Reidel won.So, even though they're pricey, I actually save money because I buy $8-$10 bottles of wine -- I serve them in these glasses and they taste? As Barbra would say, "Like buttah."I have the Bordeaux glasses for my Cabernets and Merlots... love them. I have the champagne flutes -- totally sold on these. And I bought the brandy snifters which are so much fun. Makes you feel like an actual grownup.These will be your investment pieces. Take care of them... and will they take care of you.

This is the most ridiculous, best thing I ever bought for wine. I don’t own a decanter, I do like $30-70 red wine,but already owned Rydel glasses. $70 for two sommelier glasses seemed silly because wine is either good or not and I already had too glasses for wine -that said: I’ve never touched my old glasses again.I only drink out of these now. I’m a believer. Yes, this will improve your wine experience so significantly I give them a 5 star rating. You can dishwash them. I do, but I’m prepared for them not to last years if I do that. The point is to enjoy my glasses not “save them for special occasions “ because I have to hand-wash. I now tell others about these beautiful glasses which are well worth their value.

No issues. They came in perfect but due the size I am always a little comprehensive when handling the glasses especially when drying the glasses on the kitchen counter. It does distract a little bit of the enjoyment when the glasses are in use during dinner time when I am worrying about knocking them down because they are so tall but otherwise a great product.Dec 2011Broke the first glass in less than 6 months with this buy. My daughter bought me a set of 2 about 2 yrs ago but I broke both of them as well, so these are my 2nd set. Even with extra care they are extremely fragile. 2 of them broke during cleaning and the 3rd one was tipped over on a granite counter top. I also bought another set for my daughter this X'mas and one of the glasses came in broken but replaced promptly by the seller, so no problem. However, my wife has warned me not to get replacements because they are just too fragile. She won't clean it for me any more. So I have to change this into a 4 star.

These glasses are a luxury. Not something I'd have bought for myself, but I used a gift card from the holidays. And trust me, if you geek out about wine as much as I do (I'm a "wine guy" in restaurants, but prior to that I got bit by the wine bug hard), if you can swirl and sniff for hours before even taking a sip, then these glasses are something on which to treat yourself. The only drawback is the slight feeling of doom when you have them out, or when you wash them (by hand, of course) of eventually cracking one. It happens. You have to just resign yourself to it. But enjoy the moment. Enjoy the glasses, it will enhance your enjoyment of your wines (maybe even cheap wines, but I try to stay away from the cheap stuff - I drink beer instead).

These are large capacity glasses. I think good for allowing wines to open in the glass and good for the nose.I cannot comment on durability and sturdiness as, well, I just got them. However, let's keep in mind that they *are* crystal wine glasses -> how durable & sturdy should one expect them to be?

My family and I really enjoy these wine glasses. They are very large and dwarf other wine glasses in our collection.I give them a medium rating for “durability” and “sturdiness” because they are sort of delicate, which for me makes them more enjoyable to use. Like a fine timepiece or vintage musical instrument.Great for enjoying red wine.