4 extra-large glasses shaped for serving red wines
Machine-blown of lead-free potash glass
Cut-and-polished rims so wine flows easily onto tongue
Each holds 18-5/8 ounces, stands 7-7/8 inches high
Editorial Review:
Introduced in 1989, Riedel's Ouverture collection is an uncomplicated beginner series for customers who appreciate good, reasonably priced wine. You needn't have an encyclopedic knowledge of varietals or wine-growing regions to appreciate this fine stemware.
Perfect for everyday use, the four extra-large red-wine glasses in this set are part of the moderately priced Ouverture series offered by world-renowned Austrian wineglass maker Riedel Crystal (founded in 1756). Being lead-free, they're not crystal like Riedel's premium glasses but are machine blown of potash glass and are dishwasher-safe. Their thin rims are cut and polished to Riedel's exacting standards, so wine flows easily onto the tongue. Each glass holds 18-5/8 ounces and stands 7-7/8 inches high, and their large bowls help release a wine's aroma, concentrating it in the narrower tops for full enjoyment. Though glasses shaped and sized for different types of wine seem commonplace today, when Riedel introduced this idea in 1961, it was revolutionary. Since then Riedel has continued fine-tuning glasses to bring out the best characteristics in wines and spirits. Varying bowls' shapes and sizes affects the position of the head when sipping and where wine first contacts the tongue's various taste zones. --Fred Brack
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
The Perfect Wine Glass:
Riedel is the best for a reason. These are beautiful large glasses, perfect for reds.
Fine but not fragile:
I own the Overture magnum, white wine and champagne glasses. I love them. They look and feel delicate without being overly fragile. I'm a wine fan and love exploring but wouldn't consider myself a wine snob. My parents have glasses from a more expensive Riedel line which is admittedly more finely made but ridiculously fragile. No matter how careful I am I seem to always break one while washing them. Not so with the Overture series. These make wonderful everyday wine glasses.
Poor quality control:
I've been a Riedel user for many years, including a set of the Sommelier series. These Ouverture Magnums have been our everyday wine glasses, and when some break I order more. The most recent set was very disappointing, with visible striations on the rim edges from substandard "polishing" on all four glasses, and you can feel the roughness when you run your fingernail along it. So think twice or three times before you buy, and recognize that you get what you pay for.
My thoughts on Riedel wine glasses:
I always thought that any glass would do until I tries the Riedel brand.
These last ones were a gift to my grandson. I myself really like the stemless ones, but the quality is the same.
