Last Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a big ad for Riedel stemware, disguised as an article about the way that the shape of a glass affects the taste the wine. I love my Riedel glasses, but author Richard Hacker forgot to ask some interesting questions.
What of the research that Daniel Zwerding described in Gourmet two years ago, when a clinical, scientific trial found the Riedel claims to be bunk?
What of the superbly untested and unquestioned Riedel claim of a tongue's "flavor map?"
If glass shape is so specific, why didn't Riedel change the Spiegelau shapes after acquiring the competitor?
For that matter, why do Riedel's many product lines have different shapes? Todd Wernstrom, my editor at The Wine News, once noted that the same wine tasted different in each of the lines. And not necessarily better in the better glasses. So does Riedel actually know what they're doing?
Finally, does the world need another Riedel puff piece?
