Riedel Launches New Glass Designed for English Sparkling Wine

Behind every sip of English Sparkling Wine is a long and rigorous process from soil to glass. Glassware experts Riedel, known for grape-varietal specific stemware, understand the precision in wine-making and replicate this in the production of glassware, most recently the English Sparkling Wine glass.

There is a myth amongst consumers that sparkling wine is best served from a Champagne glass. We can understand why this is the assumption, considering flutes are always present in the media, from films and TV shows to glamorous events and awards ceremonies. However, it is certainly not advised by oenophiles and professionals in the industry including leaders in the space, Riedel.

Glass of Bubbly had the pleasure of sitting down and having a conversation with Maximilian Riedel, the 11th generation CEO of the pioneering wine glass company which has been in business for nearly 300 years. During our conversation, we of course enjoyed a bottle of English Sparkling Wine served from Riedel’s recently launched English Sparkling Wine Glass. In January this year, Maximilian Riedel and his UK team visited wineries across the UK to conduct wine glass development workshops with twenty-five of the foremost wine producers from the Hampshire, Kent and Sussex regions, in a quest to find the perfect glass that allows English Sparkling Wine to be best enjoyed. The result of this detailed process was the creation of a new glass and the first of its kind for the business.

The most striking factor of Riedel’s English Sparkling Wine Glass is the weight, a determining feature of Riedel products. The glass weighs next to nothing in the hand and instead enables the weight of the wine to be felt. Along with a weightless character, the glass boasts a delicate yet confident structure with a large bowl, this allows for plenty of aeration in the wine. In studying the English Sparkling wine from this glass, one is able to explore the colour, the effervescence (with a scratched point present), as well as the aromas and flavours.

The shape of a glass truly determines the expression of a wine and this has been the Riedel ethos that they are now known for the world over. A tall, thin glass has a smaller surface area for the wine to breathe, resulting in less complexity within the liquids profile. Whereas, a glass with a bigger bowl, such as a white wine glass, has a larger area that is exposed to air, this opens up the aromas of the wine and unwinds any tightness.

We are very grateful that Maximilian Riedel took the time to introduce us to the English Sparkling Wine glass. Maximilian is committed to honouring the legacy of his ancestors, while also challenging tradition without fear, to create products that speak to the needs of consumers of today. The resilience and ingenuity throughout the past three centuries has undoubtedly been a major driver in Riedel’s success, and continues to be a huge motivator to Maximilian personally.

“I have long admired English Sparkling Wines, since I made my first vineyard visits here almost ten years ago. In that time, I have seen the industry grow and the wine develop to a truly internationally high standard so that it is amongst the very best sparkling wines in the world. I am proud to support English Sparkling Wines with a specific RIEDEL glass, which shows the fruit, the freshness, and the complexity of these great wines at its very best.” Maximilian Riedel