A friend came to town for a visit, so we broke out some Champagne on a Sunday night. It was also an occasion for my wife and me to get into our recurring argument—the Riedel O Champagne glass.


No stem?

You might know the Riedel O series of stemless wine glasses, which are the attempt of the venerable crystal wine glass company to bring their highly engineered glass technology to a hipper, more casual form. Last year they came out with a stemless Champagne glass—it’s funky and fun, with the wavy, easy-to-grip base; but without a stem, it breaks a cardinal rule (meaning that your fingers could warm up the wine inside the glass).

I drink Champagne fast enough that it seems not to be a problem. My wife, Christie, however, is a traditionalist and she dislikes this particular Champagne glass. She likes stems and flutes. Anyway, often we’ll end up drinking Champagne together, she from a flute and I from the Riedel O (just to annoy her).

I’d love to hear your take on this unusual glass.