Maximilian Riedel

Maximilian Josef Riedel (born in Vienna, Austria on September 13, 1977) is the CEO of Riedel Crystal of North America, a branch of the glassmakers who, in the 1950s, introduced the concept of varietal specific wine glasses. The 11th generation of this glassmaking dynasty, Maximilian contributed to Riedel Crystal by expanding international markets, conceiving the “O” stemless glass series, designing and co-designing several decanters and collections.

Biography

Born to Georg and Eva Riedel, Maximilian was raised along with his older sister, Laetizia, in Kufstein, Austria, where the family business is headquartered.

At 20, Maximilian joined the family business, Riedel Glas, training in sales and administration. He introduced Riedel into the Dubai market, and then spent two years in Paris at Riedel and its French importer, Ercuis, where he managed sales and conducted tastings. Since taking the reins of the North American operation, Maximilian has turned the U.S and Canada into the company’s largest export market.

In 2004, Riedel purchased F.X. Nachtmann, a German crystal maker who also owns Spiegelau. Maximilian launched Nachtmann’s crystal giftware in the U.S. market in 2005.

Since coming to the U.S., Maximilian has been profiled numerous times in publications such as Food & Wine,^[1] Fortune,^[2] The New York Times,^[3] The Miami Herald,^[4] Business 2.0,^[5] House & Garden and others.^[6] In 2004, Maximilian was featured on the cover of the Wine Enthusiast and was the subject of an extensive article about his role in the family business.^[7] The fine beverage publication, Mutineer Magazine, featured an exclusive interview with Mr. Riedel in its June/July 2009 Issue.

Designs

In 2001, Maximilian Riedel created his first line of glassware—Riedel Restaurant, exclusively for the on-premise trade.

In 2004, he introduced his "O" series, a collection of stemless wine glasses designed for the oenophile but appropriate for the casual drinker. The series became the fastest selling new collection introduction in Riedel’s history. Today, the "O" collection has grown to include thirteen different glass designs including six varietal-specific wine glass shapes, sparkling wine, sake, spirits, water and even one for a martini. The “O” Chardonnay glass was selected for the permanent collection of the Corning Museum of Glass.

Maximilian designed three decanters—his first was the swan neck Cornetto, which quickly became Riedel’s best selling decanter, followed by the “O” Thumbs-Up decanter, whose ergonomic design won the prestigious Good Design award presented by the Chicago Athenaeum for outstanding industrial design. In 2008, Maximilian designed the Eve decanter: a serpentine shaped, double-decanting piece.

Along with his father, Maximilian co-designed three decanters that reflect birds in flight. The limited edition Paloma, Swan (winner of the 2009 Red Dot Award for product design) and Flamingo decanters are free blown pieces.

Wine and Glass Tastings

Maximilian Riedel is on a world tour in 2009 through 2010, in a series of comparative wine and glass tastings. The first of these tastings took place at Vinopolis in London on 7 and 8 September 2009 and attracted an audience of over 400, filling the venue to capacity over the two days. A return visit to Vinopolis London is planned for September 2010.

Awards

• 2005 Good Design Award
o The Thumbs-Up decanter won the 2005 Good Design Award, an international industrial and graphic design competition^[8]
• Intronisation at the Fete de La Fleur Vin Expo on June 21, 2007
• 2009 Red Dot Design Award for product design^[9]
o The Swan Decanter was developed by Maximilian and Georg Riedel following a father-son trip to Venice

References

1. ^ Entertaining: Maximilian Riedel by Ann Pepi, Food & Wine, October 2005: http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/entertaining-maximilian-riedel
2. ^ Road Warrior by Eugenia Levensen, Fortune, November 2006: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/11/27/8394345/index.htm
3. ^ This Glass Is for the Cabernet, That One the Pinot Noir by Amy Cortese, New York Times, September 16, 2007: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/business/yourmoney/16wineglass.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2
4. ^ An All Around Glass Act by Lydia Martin, The Miami Herald, March 18, 2007: http://www.miamiherald.com/
5. ^ Breaking tradition by Siri Schubert, Business 2.0, May 2006: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/06/01/8378499/index.htm
6. ^ The Prince of Crystal by John J. Ney, Wine Savant, September/October 2005: http://www.winesavantmagazine.com/article/article_view.aspx?UID=00183C59-2FAA-4937-BE78-79BA2B3FA21A
7. ^ Glassware to the Max by Michael Schachner, Wine Enthusiast, November 2004: http://www.winemag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=DF51BF6739994DC7A29DF9D0C2BC5CF9&nm=Departments&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=00E1C682B14446B8ADABED0D8553B35C
8. ^ Good Design 2005 Winners: http://www.chi-athenaeum.org/gdesign/winners05.htm
9. ^ Red Dot Online: http://red-dot.de

External links

• Riedel Crystal
• Riedel United Kingdom
• Mutineer Magazine Interview With Maximilian Riedel

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Name	Riedel, Maximilian
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Date of birth	September 13, 1977
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