Comments on: Looking at the world through rose-colored glassware http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/ A Wine Blog Dedicated To Terrior Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:05:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Michael Schiaparelli http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-194982 Sun, 26 Aug 2007 11:13:31 +0000 http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-194982 Tom -- I don't know if it's necessarily being marketed directly at women; I think it's just a product line extension -- trying to force some cash out of the pockets of those folks who need to buy every new wine-related doodad and thingamajig on the market. While I think the glasses are silly and actually run contrary to Riedel's corporate marketing proposition, I do love the name -- "Happy O." Hmmmm. I never realized you could buy one of those in a store.... Tom — I don’t know if it’s necessarily being marketed directly at women; I think it’s just a product line extension — trying to force some cash out of the pockets of those folks who need to buy every new wine-related doodad and thingamajig on the market.
While I think the glasses are silly and actually run contrary to Riedel’s corporate marketing proposition, I do love the name — “Happy O.” Hmmmm. I never realized you could buy one of those in a store….

]]> by: Tom C http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-190898 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:12:31 +0000 http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-190898 Mike- Great to hear from you! (FYI, Mike is a former and greatly admired colleague of mine from here at the Wine Library - he now writes a wine column for a newspaper in Cincinnati where he currently lives - those of you in that area should check it out) It is a bit ironic, right?! Though I can't be sure about this, and at the risk of stereotyping, I think these glasses are aimed at the "fairer sex". So much of the nitty-gritty of "serious" wine consumption/appreciation is so overwhelmingly male-dominated that they may have felt that they were leaving a fair amount of money on the table. This is not say that women hate "plain" wine glasses, but they are far more likely to be attracted to the nuances of setting a beautiful table than the average male...thoughts? TOM CIOCCO Mike-

Great to hear from you! (FYI, Mike is a former and greatly admired colleague of mine from here at the Wine Library - he now writes a wine column for a newspaper in Cincinnati where he currently lives - those of you in that area should check it out)

It is a bit ironic, right?! Though I can’t be sure about this, and at the risk of stereotyping, I think these glasses are aimed at the “fairer sex”. So much of the nitty-gritty of “serious” wine consumption/appreciation is so overwhelmingly male-dominated that they may have felt that they were leaving a fair amount of money on the table. This is not say that women hate “plain” wine glasses, but they are far more likely to be attracted to the nuances of setting a beautiful table than the average male…thoughts?

TOM CIOCCO

]]> by: Michael Schiaparelli http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-190728 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:36:23 +0000 http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-190728 Tom -- I saw today that Reidel is now hawking "Happy O Wine Tumblers" -- those stemless wine glasses introduced a few years ago, but now with a "splash of... color at the base... [that] adds a cheerful flair to your presentation." The tumblers are decorated in "spring green, baby blue, easter yellow and dawn red." (Quotes are from the Wine Enthusiast catalog.) Isn't it odd that Riedel, which invented the claim that their glasses are scientifically designed to enhance the wine drinking experience, would come out with a line of glasses that actually detracts from the drinker's ability to fully perceive and appreciate all of a wine's attributes? Michael Tom —
I saw today that Reidel is now hawking “Happy O Wine Tumblers” — those stemless wine glasses introduced a few years ago, but now with a “splash of… color at the base… [that] adds a cheerful flair to your presentation.” The tumblers are decorated in “spring green, baby blue, easter yellow and dawn red.” (Quotes are from the Wine Enthusiast catalog.)
Isn’t it odd that Riedel, which invented the claim that their glasses are scientifically designed to enhance the wine drinking experience, would come out with a line of glasses that actually detracts from the drinker’s ability to fully perceive and appreciate all of a wine’s attributes?
Michael

]]> by: Kent Benson, CSW http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-187249 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 05:28:19 +0000 http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-187249 Tom, You bring up a bit of a sore point in my house. Long before I began to drink wine, my wife began collecting this beautiful and expensive antique Rose Point crystal stemware. The first purchases were about $30 a piece and the price has escalated with each additional purchase. I think they now sell for $80-$100, if you can find them. They are beautifully etched over the entire bowl. These vessels are, of course, pulled out for every special occasion and holiday dinner. However, since I began having wine with every such meal, they have become a problem. They are shaped like an up side down bell. So, a vigorous swirl is a little like turning a wine spraying lawn sprinkler on your dinner guests, not to mention the nuisance of all the etching. Usually, I quietly slip out of my chair and grab one of my Riedels out of the cupboard - here's the rub. The subsequent look I get from my wife, who never allows this maneuver to go undetected, gives me a look that could send mere mortals straight to hell. After 27 years, I am now immune to its affects and remain safely on the earth's surface. She is slowly beginning to understand why I refuse to waste good wine by pouring it into a glass that nullifies two of the key senses involved in its enjoyment, but it still bugs her. Tom,

You bring up a bit of a sore point in my house. Long before I began to drink wine, my wife began collecting this beautiful and expensive antique Rose Point crystal stemware. The first purchases were about $30 a piece and the price has escalated with each additional purchase. I think they now sell for $80-$100, if you can find them. They are beautifully etched over the entire bowl.

These vessels are, of course, pulled out for every special occasion and holiday dinner. However, since I began having wine with every such meal, they have become a problem. They are shaped like an up side down bell. So, a vigorous swirl is a little like turning a wine spraying lawn sprinkler on your dinner guests, not to mention the nuisance of all the etching.

Usually, I quietly slip out of my chair and grab one of my Riedels out of the cupboard - here’s the rub. The subsequent look I get from my wife, who never allows this maneuver to go undetected, gives me a look that could send mere mortals straight to hell. After 27 years, I am now immune to its affects and remain safely on the earth’s surface.

She is slowly beginning to understand why I refuse to waste good wine by pouring it into a glass that nullifies two of the key senses involved in its enjoyment, but it still bugs her.

]]> by: Ferrigno http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-181751 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:31:02 +0000 http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/08/20/looking-at-the-world-through-rose-colored-glassware/#comment-181751 I hate when they do that :(, then I feel bad for being so annoyed by this... I hate when they do that :( , then I feel bad for being so annoyed by this…

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