Scheiny S wrote:I'm not recommending these over the Ravenscroft from the OP (which I've gotten to use several times and have been very happy with). I just found them and wondered what folks think of them? Magnesium infused?
https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Enthusiast- ... ref=plSrch
I will stick up for these glasses, which are my go to glass. I am sipping from one right now as I type this. (It is filled with Croft 1950.) I looked around for glasses when I got into port a few years ago and these were the ones I chose. There are tradeoffs with different glasses, but these reflect my preferences and would be the ones I recommend.
They are crystal and the magnesium is used in place of lead. They have all of the virtues of crystal, but not the lead. Crystal is clearer than glass, which allows a better view of the wine. It also less brittle and allows glasses to be made thinner to enhance this quality although these particular glasses are still thicker than your typical crystal wine glass. I know that you have to leave wine in the glass for a long, long time before lead leeching becomes an issue, but I prefer not to have it at all. The magnesium also has another virtue and that is it makes the crystal highly break resistant. That is the main selling point for me. I typically hand wash all my port glasses rather than use the dishwasher because I am obsessive, but I am also a klutz. Cleaning up after having a couple of glasses of port does not help either. These glasses will resist breaking after being dropped from a short distance, knocked over or banged against a faucet nozzle and that has come in handy on more than one occasion. I had friends who used Riedel wine glasses and then would talk about how they break them all the time at $50 or more a glass. Either be really, really careful with your glasses or idiot proof your life. I chose the latter.
As for the rounded lip, I do not know why it has one. It is not very pronounced, but it is there. I know that is not a virtue on crystal wine glasses and it is not a feature on any of Wine Enthusiast’s other Fusion series wine glasses. It does not bother me, but it would be better without it. It does not put a physical or psychological distance barrier between you and your wine, but is mainly a feature of glasses designed for restaurants. I am not an expert on glass manufacture, but, after examining my glass, I cannot see any seams that indicate that the bowl is fused to the stem. They look like one piece.
As for price, I get them directly through Wine Enthusiast rather than Amazon and, yes, they are expensive although much less so than Riedel or even Schott Zwiesel, which are their main comparers. However, they go on sale at various times of the year so, if you time things right, you can get them cheaper. I just ordered a bunch more for a port tasting I am having at the end of February. They are currently on sale at $24.99 for a set of 4. That is $6 and change for crystal.
Those Ravenscroft glasses look like they have many of the same virtues and are good value. However, the Amazon page is silent as to any break resistant qualities, which is my main preoccupation.
I got to test out the IVDP glasses this fall and none of their key features resonate with me so I would not prefer them for my own solitary use to the Wine Enthusiast glasses.
I use Schott Zwiesel Diva decanters because they have the same lead free, break proof properties as well as a good shape and high breathability.