"My first thoughts about a dedicated glass for Syrah date from a visit I made to the Guigal family in 1992," says Georg Riedel. 'Until that time we had always suggested our Burgundy glasses as being best suited for Syrah.

But faced with wines of such magnificence I began to think that perhaps we could find a superior alternative.' The Syrah variety was first planted in the Northern Rhone region by the Romans. It produces deeply pigmented, well-structured wines with excellent ageing potential. The glass was developed between 1993 and 1995 following tastings in the major Syrah-growing regions, with many influential winemakers kindly contributing their views.

It is shaped to deliver the classic Syrah aromas of toast and black olives. On the palate, it brings out the wine's silky, velvety structure and balanced flavours. The tannins melt into the fruit, appearing sweet rather than acerbic on the back palate.

All Riedel glasses are dishwasher proof according to DIN EN 12857-1/2:2005.

well-suited to the following grapes: Malbec, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Pinotage, Priorato, Shiraz, St. Joseph, Syrah, Tannat, Zweigelt

SOMMELIERS (1973): Professor CLAUS J. More than 50 years ago he began his pioneering work to create stemware that would match and complement different wines and spirits. RIEDEL was the first designer to recognize that the bouquet, taste, balance as well as finish of wines are affected by the shape of the glass from which they are consumed. In the late 1950s, RIEDEL started to produce glasses which at that time were a design revolution. Thin-blown, unadorned, reducing the design to its essence: bowl, stem, base.

Working with experienced tasters, RIEDEL discovered that wine enjoyed from his glasses showed more depth as well as better balance than when served in other glasses. RIEDEL laid the groundwork for stemware which was functional as well as beautiful, and made according to the Bauhaus design principle: form follows function. CLAUS J. In 1961 a revolutionary concept was introduced, when the Riedel catalogue featured the first line of wine glasses created in different sizes and shapes. Before this, conventional stemware had used a single basic bowl shape, with only the size varying depending on use. The concept was illustrated to perfection with the introduction of the Sommeliers series in 1973, which achieved worldwide recognition. A glass was born that turns a sip into a celebration -a wine's best friend - fine-tuned to match the grape! We invite you to share this fascinating and unique experience.

You don't need to be a wine writer, a wine maker or an expert to taste the difference that a RIEDEL glass can make. SOMMELIERS is executed in fine crystal, mouth blown in Austria.