His empire is built on cool wine glasses, but Georg Riedel is a little too chilled for Mary Dowey
Does a life dedicated to promoting the clearest crystal produce an opaque personality? Maybe so. When Georg Riedel, the Austrian wine-glass king, made his first visit to Dublin recently, I managed only half a dozen questions in a full interview. The answers that were not terse negatives ran on for paragraphs - sometimes pages. As a performer, Riedel is as highly polished as the stemware that bears his name. But he revealed almost nothing.
So let's start with the background notes. Riedel, now aged 55, belongs to the 10th generation of the glass-manufacturing family whose wine glasses have in the past 10 years or so become the favourites of wine buffs the world over (myself included). Originally based in Bohemia, the company has changed tack many times over its 249-year-old history, according to expediency and the talents of those in charge - producing window panes, engraved glass, coloured glass, chandeliers, beads, perfume bottles and, during the second World War, picture tubes for German radar.
By 1945, all Riedel property had been confiscated and nationalised by the Czechs and Georg's grandfather Walter taken prisoner by the Russians, who had found one of his picture tubes intact and were anxious to use his skills. It was 10 years before he could re-launch the family glass company - this time in Kufstein in western Austria.
It was Georg's father, Claus, who focused on wine glass production, starting with a sliced-off egg shape in thin, clear crystal. Gradually realising that different glass shapes could alter the way the flavour of different wines was perceived, he set about developing a whole range of glasses to enhance particular wine styles. This notion sounds like such a clever marketing ploy that it is often met with scepticism. Back in 1989, Robert Mondavi's initial response to the Riedel sales pitch was: "I've never heard such nonsense."
But play around, sampling a wine from the appropriate Riedel shape, then from various standard glasses, then from a Riedel glass intended for a different wine - as those who attend Riedel seminars are invited to do. The "right" Riedel enhances the wine to an astonishing degree every time. Mondavi was quickly won over.
I ask Georg Riedel if he always felt, as a child, that he was bound to enter the family firm. "No, because I was a child." I ask him whether, as a young man, he went to college to study some subject which might prove useful to the business. "I personally have discovered that I carry many talents in my portfolio," he purrs, launching into a long disquisition about how life is shaped by talents, diligence and luck on the one hand and money, power and sex on the other. Among his many talents, he explains, is a facility for figures. "I am a very, very good bookkeeper. And I have a wonderful sense of smell."
He has his piece to say about wine-tasting and it is a long, portentous speech. The main gist is that taste is the least important element in wine pleasure - outweighed by smell, texture and finish. "Every bottle of wine carries a message. At Riedel, we are producing the most sophisticated loudspeakers."
I suggest that one of the great satisfactions of his career must be to have met so many of the world's leading winemakers. Who has influenced him most? A sparkle at last. "This is a very nice question which nobody has ever asked me before. Thank you for this question. The company would not exist without the endorsement of wine producers."
The famous Piedmont producer Angelo Gaja - whom Riedel resembles, both physically and in his sleek urbanity - is "the man who has most dominated my life" - introducing him to "the two Roberts - first Mondavi, then Parker". (The influential American wine critic's praise for Riedel glasses in 1991 was a major leap forward.)
With a son and daughter lined up to take over, Riedel had thought of retiring at 60 - "maybe I might have made wine in the Maremma in Tuscany, where I have some land, or been a sheep farmer in New Zealand". Then, last September, he bought his biggest competitor, more than doubling the size of the business, so he feels he must stay put.
I ask him about his favourite wines and our fleeting accord is shattered. "My palate is not a one-way street. It does not carry the stamp of a person or a region." What might he drink on a casual occasion, then? "I don't drink wine casually." At home on a Tuesday evening with a simple meal? "All my meals are simple."
Oh Georg, what is your problem? Too many interviews? Too much acclaim? I still love the glasses.
GLASS AWARENESS
Size matters. It's vital to have glasses of generous proportions, so that wine can be swirled around and exposed to the air without spilling. Swirling opens up aromas and flavours and softens edges. Shape matters. Good glasses have a rounded bowl which comes in at the top, trapping the aromas - and keeping the wine from flying out. Glasses should not be filled above the widest point. Why red is bigger than white? Red wines benefit more from exposure to air because of their tannins, which can make wine taste astringent at first; aeration helps them soften. Plain and simple. Buffs favour plain crystal - the thinner the better. Cut glass makes it hard to see the wine clearly - a major minus, as colour and appearance are important. No coloured glass or silver or gold rims, either. Balancing act. Tall glasses may look elegant but can be knocked over easily, especially if they stand on a narrow base. The best glasses are well balanced - just like the best wines.
WHERE TO BUY RIEDEL
Riedel is available from Irish agents, Mitchell & Son, Kildare Street & Glasthule, and 30 other wine shops nationwide including Murtagh's, Enniskerry; Red Island, Skerries; Ryan Vine, Navan; Cana Wines, Mullingar; Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Harvest, Galway; Gaffneys, Ballina; Patrick Stewart, Sligo; Greenacres, Wexford. Wine tumblers €10; Vinum glasses from €17; handblown Sommeliers from €45.The Vinum Chardonnay and Chianti glasses are recommended as the most versatile.
IF NOT RIEDEL, THEN WHAT?
Schott Zwiesel: High-quality, stylish German glasses in specially toughened crystal, widely adopted by the hotel and restaurant trade. The Viña and Diva ranges are especially desirable. In Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Vintry, Rathgar; Baily, Howth; O'Donovans, Cork; Karwigs, Carrigaline; Noble Vine, Galway. Retail price from about €7 per stem. More details from Irish agents Houseware International, 01-8252860. Spiegelau. Respected, established German brand owned by Riedel. Trade price from about €4.60 per stem ex-VAT. Contact John Taylor of Febvre Wine Complements, 01-2161400. WineStar. Chunkier, but the shapes are good and these Austrian glasses in toughened crystal are easy to come by. Retail price from about €5 per stem at O'Briens wine off-licences (on special offer, two glasses free with six bottles of wine from April 28th to May 8th); McCabes, Mount Merrion & Gables, Foxrock; Martha's Vineyard, Rathfarnham; Wine Buff, Limerick; Harvest, Galway; World Wide Wines, Waterford and many other outlets.