Riedel Tyrol Cabernet Glasses

I have FINALLY found my perfect glasses. Unfortunately they don't fit into my perfect budget, but we'll have to work on that. Don't misunderstand, I love my Riedel Vinums, but I don't like that they break easily and they don't fit into the top rack of my dishwasher. Add to that my spastic propensity for knocking them over and you have the trifecta of irritation. The Riedel Os are ok, but I like a stem to swirl and I don't like that my hands heat up the wine. Enter the Riedel Tyrol line. Clean lines, stunning design, a sturdy stem, and all of the fantastic attributes that you get with Riedel. Check it out:

Casual and elegant, this Riedel Tyrol Cabernet glass is part of a brand new glass series introduced in Spring 2007. This glass stands on a solid half sphere, offering amazing light reflection, while each bowl is developed for the enjoyment of popular grape varieties and beverages. The Tyrol series is made of lead crystal, which lends itself to a solid base with great stability, while giving it never ending sparkle. The name Tyrol commemorates the Riedel Family's new beginning 50 years ago in Austria in the federal state of Tyrol. These glasses come in a set of 2 and are designed to enhance the enjoyment of full-bodied red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. (from Amazon)

They are slightly more affordable than the vinum line, but are still a little swanky at $39 for a pair. My vinums should really watch out . . . it is a long fall from the bar to the tile. Accidents can happen.

Check out the full line and pick your faves: Riedel Tyrol Cabernet Glass, Set of 2

Images from www.riedel.com

Polycarbonate Stemless Wine Tumblers

The glass is as important as the wine. Most wine-lovers insist on a stem, but I enjoy the tumbler style that you can cup in your hand like a snifter. These high elegant and simple glasses are for red and white, (I know . . . how uncouth!) and made of high quality, durable Polycarbonate. Impress some friends and shock some connosoirs. A steal at $15 for 6.

At Polycarbonate Stemless Wine Tumblers

The Whole Bottle Wine Glass

Looks like we were beaten to the punch on the 750ML, full bottle wine glass. Yes, we know we're supposed to be the ones finding all the cool wine gadgets for under $20, but what can you expect when there's so much wine to be drunk? We won't wax poetic about the thing, especially since Liquor Snob and Martini Groove have already done so. Part of us thinks you might as well just get a bucket, and if it holds EXACTLY 750ML won't it be tough to take that first sip? But of course, maybe that's just sour grapes because we didn't discover it first.

Giant Full Bottle Wine Glass

Holiday Cheer Wine Goblets

I've had beer from a rugby cleat, mead from a horn, and Tequila from world's sexiest neck (it's tough, but the nape of a beautiful women's neck can hold a shot of Patron, if your careful and motivated). Despite these exploits, I will only drink wine from a wine glass. Something about the ritual of the pour, swirl, smell just seems right. Wine glasses are designed to hold the legs, release the vapors and enhance the wine. Choose the right glass for your wine. And since it's the holidays, be festive, do something special for your holiday party. Holiday goblets make a party a little better. The Pfaltzgraff Holiday Cheer Set is perfect for your next wintry bash. Etched and hand-painted, they will impress.

Pfaltzgraff Holiday Cheer Set Of Four 13-Ounce Wine Goblets

Spiegelau Vino Grande Red Wine Glasses

We're big, huge, giant fans of big, huge, giant wine glasses for red wine. We like having plenty of room to roll our wine around in the glass, partially to get a bit of air in there but mostly because we like to watch the red liquid spin around the glass. These Spiegelau red wine glasses look like they're just what the doctor ordered - they're nice and tall with a pretty wide mouth. Plus, we're feeling the reviews, which say they like these glasses better than Riedel for a pretty significantly lower price. Can't go wrong with that.

Amazon - Spiegelau Vino Grande Red Wine Glasses, Set of 6

Chablis/Chardonnay Wine Glasses

There was a time when the thought of drinking certain wines out of specific glasses would have caused us to chuckle a bit. Of course, there was also a time when we would have gleefully sucked our wine out of cleaned out mayonnaise jars. These days we're trying to bring a little bit of class into our otherwise debauched lives, so in honor of Swanky Wine Friday we offer you these Chablis and Chardonnay glasses. Made by Metrokane, these bad boys come in a set of 4, are dishwasher safe, and are shaped specifically for white wines.

They also have a tasting lip to "enhance wine appreciation." Not sure what that does, but these are cool glasses anyway.

Metrokane Rabbit Chablis/Chardonnay Wine Glasses, Set of 4- at Amazon

Endurance Wine Glasses

We're not sure if you know this, but sometimes alcohol can dull your motor skills. We're sorry to be the ones to have to break it to you, but it's true. We don't know how many times we've been knee deep in wine tasting and elbowed our glass over, maybe even broke it. That's why we like these RSVP Endurance glasses - not only do they look cool, they're stainless steel to we minimize the risk of having to pick shards of broken glass out of our feet.

We might not use these when we're reviewing, but we'd use them if we're out on the porch, skydiving, or any other higher impact drinking situation.

Endurance Wine Glasses (set of 2)- at Amazon

Riedel Vinum Wine Tasting Glasses

These are some fancy little glasses we dug up at Amazon that are specially designed to make wine tasting easier and more enjoyable. They come in a set of six, so they're specifically packaged for a wine tasting party of some sort...or maybe so you can do an unbiased tasting of multiple wines without having to wash up the glasses.

Product Description

he Vinum series of glasses are made of over 24-percent lead crystal and were the first machine-made glasses to be specifically designed for a particular grape varietal. The six tasting glasses in this set are intended for evaluating a variety of wines at a professional tasting. The unique hollow stem design acts as a measurer and holds 5/8 ounce or two sips of wine (one to judge the taste and one to confirm)--the ideal amount for tasting. The bowls of these glasses have a wider opening for comfortable sipping without tilting the head all the way back.

The bowls also offer completely balanced sipping by simultaneously sending wine to the front of the tongue to highlight the fruit and toward the back and sides of the mouth to emphasize the wine's acidity. The bowl's larger volume provides more space for wine to aerate, making aromas more intense than in a differently shaped glass. Tilting the glasses to a horizontal position provides the best aeration, and the design stops wine 1/2-inch from the rims to keep it from spilling.

Each glass stands 6-3/8 inches tall and holds a maximum capacity of 14-7/8 ounces of wine. Currently awaiting a patent, these glasses are sure to be the new standard for unbiased wine judging.

from Amazon

Ravenscroft All Purpose Crystal Stemmed Wine Glass

We love the stem and love the look. It's billed as an all-purpose glass but according to productdose.com this Ravenscroft Tasting Glass is equally as appropriate for water as it is for beer. The glass holds 14 ozs of your favorite wine and is 6 3/8” tall.

Via productdose.com

Riedel O Cabernet/Merlot Wine Tumblers

We love these stemless glasses from Reidel. Elegant and simple, they'll be perfect for a wine party where you tasting a cab or merlot might be a bit more casual and kicked back.

At Reidel