The New Edge in Design: Stemless Wine Glasses

The New Edge in Design Stemless Wine Glasses
Want to know if your sommelier is hip and up-to-date? The next time you order a Bordeaux or Chardonnay, ask for it to be served in a tumbler instead of a wine glass.

Stemless wine glasses are catching on with a broader base of consumers in North America's trendiest restaurants, thanks to wine industry efforts to demystify wine -- and a new twist to an old concept.

Though it is nothing new in Europe, where wine has been poured into tumblers or any other handy cup for centuries, wine tumblers are suddenly becoming the hippest way to drink wine.

"The tumbler glass concept is really new for the industry,' said Maximilian Riedel, 27, who only six months ago launched his family company's line of stemless wine glasses.

"We want younger people to enjoy wine," he said. "We want to guide more people to wine."

Riedel should know. As the 11th-generation heir to Austrian crystal maker Riedel Glas GmbH, he designed the company's new "O" series for drinking wine at his own home.

The glasses, which from the side look like the printed letter "O", are shaped according to strict designs that adhere to certain types of wine -- slimmer curves for whites and broader bases for reds. They come in six varieties: Cabernet/Merlot, Riesling/Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah/Shiraz, Pinot/Nebbiolo, Chardonnay and Viognier/Chardonna y.