Photography By Susan Lanier-Graham
THE WINE TASTING
All of this passion for wine and glass might not make sense to everyone, but
Riedel and Gaja hope that by reaching out to the public, they can help others
understand why the glass really does matter. Laughing, Gaja leans in toward me
just before we finished the interview. “Wine is often abused,” he says. I nod,
bracing myself for some type of lecture. “It’s served at the wrong temperature
or served with the wrong people.” We all laugh and Riedel nods. “See, wine
truly is a celebration.”
So how does a simple glass make a difference? Riedel says it’s because of our
senses. ”Good tools never go out of fashion. If you have the right tools, it can
help you explore your senses.” Riedel has revolutionized the industry by showing that people experience wine differently because of the way it hits your
tongue and how it smells even before tasting it. Some wines, such as a pinot
noir, are highly sensitive to the glass and can take on tastes from the glass.
As I joined the two men at the wine tasting, with close to a hundred wine
lovers waiting to sample Gaja wines from the extraordinary hand-blown Riedel
glasses, I kept thinking about the words of Gaja’s father. Yes, it is important to
know how to drink wine. Gaja spoke to the group much like he’d spoken to me
earlier–with enthusiasm and energy, and with a sense that it was important to
learn about the past in order to appreciate the present. He again told the story of his beloved grandmother and the importance of knowing how to drink
wine. He introduced the wines we tasted that night–a Gaja Gaia & Rey Chardonnay (served in a Sommelier line Montrachet glass); Gaja Barbaresco 2010,
the winery’s signature single-estate wine (served in a Sommelier line Burgundy
Grand Cru glass); and a Gaja Ca’Marcanda Camarcanda from Tuscany (served
in a Sommelier line Bordeaux Grand Cru glass). Although he now also grows
grapes in Tuscany, it is obvious when he speaks about his beloved Barbaresco
that Gaja is partial to the wines from his native Piedmont.
Gaja introduced Riedel as the “Emperor of Glasses.” Everyone laughed and
Riedel gave a dismissive hand wave, but Gaja turned to the audience. “I am
only one of many producers of great wine, but Riedel is the only one who
makes these glasses.”
Riedel emphasized them importance of being comfortable with your glasses.
In fact, he suggested that entry-level wine drinkers might want to consider
stemless glasses as a way to ease into the wine culture. Riedel reminded the
audience that the goal is to have a wine experience–a celebration. He smiled
as the room buzzed after tasting the first wine in a glass that accented the wine
followed by a sip from the “wrong” glass that masked the beauty of the wine.
“Good tools never go out of fashion,” he reminded us.
The one key ingredient that these men have in common is their drive and
passion. If Gaja is correct about passion being the key to success (and I suspect
he is), there is no wonder these two are at the top of their industries. Even
though Gaja is now 73 and Riedel a decade younger, they both have big goals
for the future. For Gaja, it’s all about creating more “elegant” wines. He wants to
produce big wines that are perfect to match with food. As for Riedel, he wants
to introduce his glasses to the top brands for coffee, tea, soda and water. He
hopes to work with the best of the best in the world of non-alcoholic drinks
to create the best glasses (Coca-Cola for soda, a fine espresso for coffee and
Aqua Panna, Fiji or Evian for water). The world of designer water may never be
the same again.
For more on Riedel Glasses, visit reidel.com. For more on
Gaja Wines, which are available throughout the U.S.,
visit http://terlatowines.com/brands/italy/gaja.
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FEBRUARY 2013 • LUXE BEAT MAGAZINE