Riedel Mini Cabernet Decanter

Founded in 1756, Austria's Riedel Crystal is the world's premier manufacturer of wine glasses and has always catered to the fine wine connoisseur. The Riedel family has been in the glass business for 300 years, with 11 generations keeping the family business intact. In Riedel lingo, the glass is the "messenger of the wine" and each glass is a "tailored suit for the wine."

Amazon.com Review
All Riedel glassware is designed especially for a particular wine, and this mini-decanter is Cabernet friendly. Simply a smaller version of Riedel's 37-ounce Cabernet decanter, this one works well for holding a couple glasses from a full bottle--say, for those evenings alone with a good book. Exhibiting the modern diamond look of Riedel's Vinum Extreme line, the decanter makes a good match for those Cab glasses.

Decanting--pouring the contents of a bottle of wine into a serving container--enhances the appreciation of the wine by increasing its contact with oxygen, basically the same process as swirling wine in a glass to release its bouquet. Decanting allows older as well as young wines to fully open up and "breathe." Because the decanter is machine-made and therefore affordable, more than one can be kept on hand to give each guest his or her own. The mini decanter stands 6-1/4 inches tall and holds 15-3/4 ounces, and should be washed by hand. --Ann Bieri