The Riedel Wine Glass Experience and Funke

In vino veritas

“Nothing more excellent or valuable than wine was ever granted by the gods to man” said Plato, who knew a thing or two about a thing or two.  It has also been said that a bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world, so you can thank me for saving you some heavy slogging through The Republic and The Symposium.   

We have all been subjected to a pompous ritual of wine tasting by a connoisseur.  The admiration of the extravagantly ornamental label, the flourish of the cork popping, the liberation of the life-saving elixir, the swirling and twisting into a vortex, the catarrhic sniffing, the sampling of a single drop of the liquid gold and finally the stroll through the meadow of adjectives, the vivid tale of the tastes and the terroir.  Of course “wine connoisseur” is a euphemism for a wealthy alcoholic, someone you don’t like who drinks as much as you do.

So the lovely wife and I ventured with skeptical trepidation to the Maybourne Hotel in the heart of the Beverly Hills shopping district for the Riedel Wine Glass Experience.  Riedel-The Wine Glass Company has produced stemware since 1756.   They were the first stemware manufacturer to claim that the aroma and taste of a wine is affected by the shape of the vessel from which it is consumed.  Claus Riedel invented the grape varietal-specific wine glass in 1958.

Our sommelier for the evening was Maximillian Riedel, the grandson of Claus and the 11^th generation of Riedel in the wine business.  He explained that stemware consists of the bowl, the stem and the base.  Grape varietal-specific stemware features bowls with three variables:  shape, size and rim diameter.  By optimizing the design, the four basic sensations of wine, bouquet, texture, flavor and finish, are “translated” to the human senses.  Riedel’s claim is that the size, shape and rim diameter intensify the aroma, allow the wine to fall onto the proper location on the tongue to highlight the texture or “mouthfeel,” balance the fruit, minerality and acidity in the flavor and give a harmonious finish with a long lasting aftertaste.  Here is Mr. Riedel demonstrating the “Mamba” decanter with its coiled and upright stance.  The wine is double decanted by aeration as it journeys through the curvaceous glass when it is completely inverted then turned upright, amazingly without a drop of spillage.

Each guest was given four varietal-specific wine glasses for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir/Nebbiolo and Cabernet/Merlot from the newest collection, Riedel Veloce.  The glasses were used to test two white wines (Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay) and two reds (Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon).

But enough of the vinobabble and on to the gold-standard taste test.  When imbibed from the proper glass, the Sauvignon Blanc was crisp and refreshing with notes of citrus and apple, the Chardonnay was oaky and earthy, the delicate Pinot Noir was elegance personified with a silky texture and flavors of cherry and raspberry and the Cabernet exuded power and finesse with bold blackberry harmonized with tobacco, chocolate and velvety tannins.  On the other hand, when sampled from the incorrect glass, the wines had the rancid scent of porta-potty with notes of decomposing roadkill and buffalo chips and the afterburn of a tungsten arc welder.  Same wines, dramatically different results.  I was sold on the Riedel concept faster than you can say boreh p’ri hagafen.

By coincidence, the Maybourne is only a short stroll from Evan Funke’s new eponymous entry, Funke.  After the outstanding experience that we had at Mother Wolf we were excited to again sample his Italian cuisine featuring hand-crafted artisanal pastas.  Being well-lubricated from the wine tasting, we pinballed our way to Funke but still managed to arrive thirty minutes ahead of our scheduled reservation.

We explored the tri-level restaurant with rooftop bar, mezzanine and a first-floor main dining room.  As with Mother Wolf, the décor was elegant and sophisticated.  The rich tones of the wood furniture of the rooftop bar were complemented by the subtle lighting and beautiful views of Beverly Hills.  The main dining room had a bright, opulent atmosphere with oak floors, light cream walls, warm plants and small, spherical hanging lamps.

The sommelier noticed us admiring the wine display which included such stars of Italy as Biondi Santi, Salvioni Brunello di Montalcino and Gaia Barolo.  She courteously spent time discussing the house collection.  Because we pre-gamed, we passed on the $2700.00 bottle of Masseto Super Tuscan and instead chose glasses of the house Barbaresco.  After a wait of only five minutes, the maître d’ seated us, well ahead of the time of our reservation.

The pasta at Funke is made by one of two processes, fatta a mano and trafilata al bronzo.   Fatta a mano literally means made by hand like my wife’s nonna made in her native Toscana.  The freshly made dough is cut into individual noodles yielding tender, robustly tasty pasta which is cooked for only two minutes.  To fashion trafilata al bronzo, or bronze-cut pasta, dough is extruded through bronze dies whose perforated metal plates cut and shape the pasta.  The bronze dies produce a finished noodle with a rough, porous texture which absorbs sauce efficiently, improving the palatability and flavor.

As an appetizer we sampled the Sfincione in Bianco, a Sicilian focaccia with sea salt, extra virgin olive oil and oregano selvatico, an oregano that grows wild in Sicily featuring a peppery taste with a minty aroma.  Rather than extra virgin olive oil, the menu should have stated extra, extra virgin olive oil as the oiliness detracted from the warm focaccia which had a toasty crust and a light, yeasty and slightly sweet center.

We followed with the traditional rustic Tuscan Panzanella salad of tomato, cucumber, spring onion, basil, and fresh pane fritto.  The salad was topped with a large dollop of Burrata Pugliese, a baseball-sized hunk with an external layer of firm mozzarella surrounding a soft and creamy heart.  The salad was covered by a drizzle of vinaigrette.  The contrasting colors and textures were artfully arranged which showcased the crisp vibrancy of the vegetables and the crunch of the croutons.

We sampled one dish of each pasta variety.  For the bronzo we chose Spaghetti al Limone with delta asparagus and lemon leaves, a delightful departure from an ordinary pasta sauce.  The porous al dente pasta was infused with a bright, zesty lemon sauce.  As with the focaccia, the chef was a bit too generous with the olive oil for my taste.

The Italian comfort dish Tagliatelle Bolognese was prepared with hand-made noodles with an old school ragu sauce of finely minced meat, tangy tomato and ground vegetables and a dusting with Parmigiano Reggiano.  The softer pasta was balanced by the full-bodied, flavorful, chunky sauce.

By the end of the evening I was three sheets to the wind so the truth will out.  I enjoyed the modern ambiance and, unlike many newer establishments where the patron is treated with disdain, the service was superb from the maître d’ to the sommelier to the multiple layers of polite, efficient and knowledgeable waiters.  The competition in the Italian genre, however, is ferocious, so I cannot give an unreserved recommendation. The food can be bested at many other locations, including less expensive options and Funke’s own Mother Wolf.