Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/164544
EDUCATION The Architecture of Wine GEORG RIEDEL HAS US LOOK BEYOND THE GLASS by Michael Cervin G Georg Riedel hosts a glassware seminar in at Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles. Jon Newlon, VP/GM of American Wine & Spirits of CA, with Georg Riedel. Southern Wine & Spirits/American Wine & Spirits of CA is Riedel's new distributor in California. eorg Riedel speaks passionately of the architecture of a wine glass: the length of the stem, the shape of the bowl; that smaller glasses heighten a wine's intensity, larger glasses release aromatic complexity. "We're dealing with physics; it's not hocus pocus," he tells THE TASTING PANEL. Not everyone agrees, which is why Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles hosted a seminar with Georg, eleventh-generation head of the glass-making dynasty based in Austria. Riedel produces 55 million wine glasses annually and, like it or not, his glasses have changed wine. "No one believes that a glass can make a difference in the perception of wine," Riedel says. "But imagine looking at a vineyard on different days, in different weather. Your view is the same; rain, fog or sunshine don't change the vineyard, but how you perceive it." He suggests we can comprehend 1,500 different aromas, and to that end we sample Viognier in 13 different glasses, each with a unique shape. A quietness falls over the room, leaving only the muffled noises of skeptics and the occasional clinking of glasses. Some stemware clearly presents the wine with more aromas, but less complexity; other shapes highlight the acidity. The top four glasses, chosen by consensus, have similar shapes, showing there is a systematic approach to proper stemware. Becky Zelinski, winemaker at First Crush Cellars is convinced. "I'd like to think it doesn't matter, because it makes things simpler—wine is already complex for consumers. But the glasses do make a difference." Even wine drinkers in restaurants demand proper stemware. "We have made incredible inroads in the restaurant industry," Riedel notes. He points out that American wine consumption is up, and wine regions such as Walla Walla and California's Central Coast barely existed 40 years ago. And the importance of glassware shape is not restricted to wine. Riedel already has a line of spirits and cocktail glasses, and in 2014 the company will be launching coffee and tea glasses, as well as a line of soda glasses. I'm curious which wine Georg prefers. "The Central Coast is definitely the style of Pinot Noir I like; the wines have richness and body," he says. Though Riedel dominates the wine glass market (they also own Spiegelau), the company's innovations have helped industry and consumers alike better understand and enjoy wine. As Georg Riedel says: "Life comes with food, and food comes with wine . . . and wine comes with Riedel glasses." 48 / the tasting panel / september 2013 TP0913_034-62.indd 48 8/22/13 9:21 PM