Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir in World’s Finest Glasses

Last weekend in the cosmopolitan Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a very special wine tasting event took place -a Riedel comparative glass tasting hosted by Riedel’s 10th-generation company president, Georg Riedel, who flew from Austria especially for the event. In order to demonstrate the benefits of using the appropriate crystal glass for consuming wine, three Robert Parker 90+ point wines were selected and the best news of all was that Misha’s Vineyard “The High Note” Pinot Noir 2008 was one of those three wines!

The event took place in the ballroom of the 5-star Caravelle Hotel to a crowd of 120 people who paid US$110 per seat to attend. Georg Riedel flew from Austria especially for the event where he showcased the designs of his Vinum XL Series, the new generation of Riedel wine glasses, which retail in New Zealand at $68 per glass.

The Vinum XL Pinot Noir was designed in 2008 and came about as a result of several workshops with Pinot Noir producers in Oregon USA. The shape of the glass shows the fresh fruit components and highlights the sweetness, whilst balancing the acidity and deemphasizing the alcohol to create a ideal impression of the wine with Georg Riedel claiming it a “a perfect Pinot Noir dream glass.”

A family owned business established in 1756, Riedel Crystal is recognized worldwide for designing and producing the highest quality glasses for wine and spirits so it’s a huge honour that our Pinot Noir was one of the wines selected to demonstrate the benefits of drinking very good wine from very good glasses!

We have been distributing our wines to Vietnam for 18 months now and have made two trips there. It’s a very exciting market and we’re been amazed to see the developments take place especially in the food and wine sector. Although the country has a population of 88 million, the per capita GDP is relatively low, however there is a large gap between the wealthy urban population and the low income rural population. The higher income levels and westernization are increasing alcohol consumption which is forecast to increase by around 6.5-7.5% each for the next couple of years so it’s definitely a market with growth potential!

We are so lucky to work with a wonderful distributor in this market, Finewines, and we’re hoping to be back in Vietnam again next May for more activities, including possibly our first wine dinner at the top of one of the newest and tallest buildings in Ho Chi Minh City!