Riedel Crystal was founded in 1756, over 240 years and ten generations ago. In 1958, Riedel introduced the Burgundy Grand Cru glass, the only stemware on permanent display in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. Since then, Riedel has designed over 100 glasses.
As a connoisseur of fine wines and spirits (George was named Decanter Magazine’s 1996 Man of the Year), Riedel develops new glass shapes to enhance the world’s most exciting and complex beverages at tasting workshops with leading international wine and spirit producers rather than on a drawing board or my computer.
Most of Riedel’s glasses –in a myriad of shapes ranging in size from thimble to fish bowl- were created to highlight the finest characteristics of the particular liquids they would direct onto the palate. That is, each glass was developed for a single individual beverage and therefore has a specific purpose.
Riedel’s glass collection consists of Sommeliers, Vinum, Ouverture, Basic, Wine and Vinum Extreme.