Riedel has released its latest bid to separate wine fiends from their cash with Vinum Extreme. Claiming this new rather retro-ish diamond shaped set to be ‘ideal for robust young, full-bodied wines and! perfectly suited to the Australian market’, Georg Riedel says his new glassware ‘balances the intensity and quality of flavours’ of New World wines. The ‘exceptionally wide’ evaporation surfaces are supposed to ‘intensify bouquet and enhance silkiness in the mouth’. The new collection comprises glassware for Champagne, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling, Pinot Noir/Nebbiolo and Cabernet/Merlot. I’ve roadtested them all on suitably New World wines against standard ISO tasting glasses and was very interested to discover that without exception, these new glasses actually disperse a wine’s aroma, giving it the impression of less density and core than actually appears apparent via the ISOs. They highlight the more ethereal and volatile aspects of aroma, reducing the fruit impact. This may well be what Georg Riedel is after, for perhaps he finds the intensity and forward expression of many New World wines simply too arresting and difficult to confront.
