From DCist food contributor Melissa McCart
Chances are, if you’ve ordered wine at Tallula, Café Atlantico or Two Amys, you may have been served in a stemless glass. Better known as Reidel’s “O” line, the tumblers “are for kitchen entertaining,” said Maximilian Riedel, 29 year-old CEO of Riedel Crystal in the October issue of Food and Wine.
The glasses come in several varieties: Syrah/Shiraz, Cabernet/Merlot, Pinot/Nebbiolo, Savignon Blanc/Reisling, Sake, spirits and fortified wines. Despite the options, we noticed that some area restaurants only use them for reds. “Although we ordered a nice bottle of wine,” wrote a DCist reader who recently went to Tallula, “we didn’t get the ‘fun’ glasses, since we ordered a white.” Tallula is not the only restaurant that tends to limit its O collection to reds. DCist visited Two Amys recently and were served red wines in the O tumblers, whites in plastic water glasses.
Some hail the O series as means of demystifying wine, the culture of which been dubbed elitist and snobby, or at the very least, worthy of parody. D.C. wine enthusiasts on DonRockwell.com are decidedly split between liking the wine tumbler and thinking that they “suck ventworm nut.” One blogger noted that by holding the globe, chilled whites warm up. Perhaps Mr. Riedel and Company have joined the camp that believes whites shouldn’t even be served chilled. Willie Gluckstern, author of The Wine Avenger and instructor at Peter Kump’s in New York, wrote, “drinking better whites and Champagnes straight from the fridge is a sure bet for a lost opportunity, since you can be assured that nothing of interest will get through.” Also in October’s F&W, Pete Wells asks whether whites are served, “Too Darn Cold?” DCist is undecided. We will have to try them both chilled and warmer for “research.”
Regardless of the debate, someone must like these tumblers. The introduction of the glasses by Riedel last year boosted sales from $18 million in ’03 to $34 million in ’04. They are rather snazzy. We’ll just be sure to hold them closer to the rim rather than the bowl until we decide which temperature we prefer our whites.
