Maximilian Riedel is a visionary in the world of wine and glassware. As the 11th generation CEO of RIEDEL The Wine Glass Company, he has not only continued the family tradition but has elevated it to new heights. Maximilian's passion for wine and commitment to enhancing the drinking experience has revolutionized the way people perceive glassware.

With his keen understanding of the relationship between wine and vessel, Maximilian has designed a range of elegantly crafted and scientifically engineered glassware that enhances the aromas and flavours of various wines. His dedication to the art of glassmaking has garnered him numerous accolades and made RIEDEL a household name among wine enthusiasts worldwide. Maximilian Riedel's commitment to innovation and his unwavering pursuit of perfection have solidified his legacy as a true pioneer in the industry.

AN INTERVIEW WITH MAXIMILIAN RIEDEL

I met with Maximilian Riedel to ask him some questions about man v machine and his love of white chocolate!

Q : What is the future of glass blowing?

A : There are two types of glasses - those that are hand made, mouth blown and those that are machine made.

One of our ranges, Riedel Veloce, is the most advanced machine blown glasses in the world and you would not be able to tell the difference between the machine made and the hand made glass! We have also launched the Superleggero which is a remake of a hand made product now made on the machine. It is mind blowing what the machine can do but the sad thing is glass making as we know it, will die.

Traditional glassmaking is going to be ending and I will most likely experience it in my lifetime. Unfortunately the end of glassmaking is all related to modern times because we nor the next generation want to work in a factory! Which I don’t understand because now-a-days factories are a modern working environment with all the rules, regulations and safety precautions in place. Traditional glassblowing is a dying craft and I don’t see a future for it

Q : Many crafts and skills are making a comeback. Do you think there will be a revival, a resurgence of craft glass blowers?

A : No because the artists that we would work with would have to produce the same product day in and day out and that’s a challenge and they would have a target to meet - they would need to produce x amount of glassware. No human can do this, but a machine can. Creating the glassware that we need has very little to do with being an artisan.

The other issue is cost. Would you pay the money it would cost the manufacturer to have skilled people doing this job? If I look at products that my parents did in the 1980s, vases and bowls, hand cut, lead crystal, having a traditional glassblower make these products in 2023 would cost you £10-£20k! But having a machine produce them, makes the products more affordable.

Machines are not something negative. These machines that make our glassware are machines we have built ourselves, with our own knowledge over time. They are made to our specs. There is no market where you can just buy a machine that will make a specific glass at a certain weight and colour, it doesn’t exist because the market is too small. These machines still require ‘glassmakers’ though and are operated by 300-400 people who are classified as ‘glassmakers’ even though they have never made a glass. It’s just a different approach, a modern approach and sadly the old approach will die.

Q : What is the worst glass that you’ve ever seen anyone drink wine out of?

A : The bottle! Drinking whisky and other spirits from the bottle is acceptable but wine needs a load speaker. It needs to breathe. Wine should never be consumed from a bottle!

Q : What’s the trends in wine and food pairings?

A : I grew up in Michelin Star restaurants but now-a-days they are so expensive you can’t afford them. I would say the biggest trend started pre Covid. There’s an interruption now but I think we are all going to go back to home cooking - from your garden to your dish, farm to table, was a big thing pre Covid and I think it will continue to become even bigger. Everything organic, healthy, vegan and plant based. BUT this poses a larger challenge for wine as many grape varieties don’t match vegetables very well. For instance Cabernet and beef - a match made in heaven. Cabernet and a certain root or vegetable - questionable???

I think we will see a huge change in direction towards white wines because white wines go so well with and are much easier to match to vegetables than reds.

Q : What is your favourite wine and food pairing?

A : Pinot Noir and white chocolate. Its perfect BUT the wine has to be in the right wine glass - a Riedel wine glass!

If you’d like to learn more about Riedel wine glasses and which ones are best suited to your different wines - read my blog post HERE

Many thanks to Maximilian Riedel for his time and Diana Thomson from Wine Events Scotland for arranging this opportunity.

Check out my other interviews with

Josep Roca - Sommelier at El Celler de Can Roca

Joan Roca - Head Chef at El Celler de Can Roca