Riedel Performance Champagne Glasses x 4
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Champagne in a narrow flute looks right and smells of very little. This is the other approach: a tall, egg-shaped bowl, open enough at the top to carry aroma, drawn in again at a cut rim.
Riedel etch a small rough point into the base of the bowl. Bubbles need something to form on, and the etch gives them one, so the bead rises from a single place in a fine, even stream rather than scattering off whatever the glass happens to have. It is what keeps the mousse in a bowl this open.
Performance was the first Riedel range to carry the optic impact bowl, designed by Georg and Maximilian Riedel. Fine ridges run inside the glass, increasing the inner surface area and catching the light as the wine moves. Beyond that the shape does the work: width across the middle to give the wine air, a rim that draws back in to gather aroma above it.
Thin-blown crystal, a cut rim rather than a rolled one, a long stem and a wide, steady base. The weight sits where it should.
Champagne of any style, including Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and rosé. Also Prosecco, Cava, Sekt and English sparkling. It takes sweet wines well too, from Sauternes to Beerenauslese and ice wine.
Specifications: Set of four. 375ml to the brim; Riedel's serving measure is 100ml. 245mm tall, 90mm at the widest point, 80mm across the rim. Premium machine-made crystal glass, dishwasher safe.
Care: Dishwasher safe on a low temperature, with space around each glass so nothing touches. By hand, use hot water and no detergent; any residue kills the mousse, which is the one thing this glass exists to protect. Dry with a linen cloth and store upright rather than on the rim.
