Maximilian Riedel and I met several years ago during one of his demonstrations for a select group of Miami journalists. Always fascinating, Maximilian is the 11th generation of the Riedel (rhymes with needle) family of Bohemian and Austrian glassmakers. At 33, he is CEO of Riedel Crystal of America. Among many oenophiles, a Riedel glass is not only beautiful but is said to enhance the aroma and flavor of any wine.
Under Maximilian’s modern marketing and design genius, the family business has grown by 60% with the 2004 introduction of his controversial design, the stemless “O” wine glass and countless other designs. Within the year, $2.6 million of $10 million Riedel sales worldwide were due to the “O” series. This latest innovation — the mouth-blown Eve wine decanter — is jumping off the shelves, faster than it can be re-stocked.
DAISY: Your Eve wine decanter was unveiled in Miami Beach during the South Beach Wine & Food festival. Why here?
MR: The timing is perfect because it’s after the European show where companies bring all new items. I always bring new items with me and the Florida journalists are the first to see the Eve. It’s great to see reactions face-to-face.
DAISY: When saw each other at the dinner for the King and Queen of Spain at the Biltmore Hotel during the festival, I didn’t realize you were presenting their majesties with the Eve decanter. Any trouble getting it in past security? Just before you got there, they swept the area for bombs!
MR: (Laughs) No, there was no ammunition! Plus the decanter was already engraved in honor of the king and queen, we had prearranged it. When he took it, he looked at it and smiled as if figuring it out – he was not familiar with our crazy design.
DAISY: Your decanters turn the ordinary act of pouring a simple glass of wine into a poetic ritual that engages several of the senses. You have outdone yourself with this latest one.
MR: Very proud about this one piece. It is named in honor of my mother Eva. I designed it over a year ago and it is patented. We had a delay because without a DVD with directions it’s hard to explain how it “double decants” and creates a vacuum within the belly of the snake. All wine must be decanted, especially young wines. They need to open up and breathe.
DAISY: That glug-glug sound is hypnotic and musical!
MR: It’s a gulping noise that’s echoey in a romantic way. I’m from Tyrol, The Alps in Austria. It reminds of calling into the Alps and how the sound reflects or bounces off the mountains. For sure a communication piece. It is always form and function when it comes to Riedel products.
DAISY: You turned the wineglass world upside down several years ago with your design of the stemless Riedel “O” wine glass. What did your grandfather say when you presented it to him? You were certainly breaking with tradition and… stems.
MR: He was shocked about the “O” glass line, luckily, I presented it at the same time I presented the Cornetto decanter — the most successful decanter in the collection. He didn’t like or understand the concept. When he was running the business and doing the most beautiful glasses decades ago, not everyone could own glasses because of how expensive they were. His reaction was, ‘You chopped off the beautiful stems of my glasses I created!’ I’m glad he was alive to see the success. He said he knew the glass ovens in his factories would always continue to work.
DAISY: What inspired you to create the “O” glass?
MR: I was living in Long Island in a big house, then moved closer to Manhattan to a small apartment where space is a luxury. No space in cabinets or the dishwasher. I was sitting at a bar in New York talking to a bartender friend of mine. He said when a glass breaks, it’s at the stem and it’s hard to stock behind the bar. All of this made me start thinking – that’s how I came up with it. You can stack them in the smallest cabinet and get twice the number of them in there.
DAISY: You’re always so dapper and very well dressed. How does your exquisite design aesthetic manifest itself in your personal life – who was your role model?
MR: I learned style from my father and grandfather who said a gentleman is always appropriately dressed. It was a very creative childhood with them schlepping me through art museums as well as factories. He made me work at a glass blowing factory in Italy at 16 so I could learn this first hand. He wanted me to see everything and travel the world. At 20, I lived in Paris for two years doing distribution and presentations, however, nothing on the creative side.
DAISY: Let’s get specific. Your shirts, suits, shoes?
MR: All shirts hand-made in Venice. Suits in Munich, each year they come to us to present new fabrics and my father and I challenge each other with the choices. Shoes made in Vienna.
DAISY: Fragrance – yes or no?
MR: Definitely yes! I have about nine and I change every day. I like earthy, crisp scents.
DAISY: Tell me about your home’s décor.
MR: I now live in Tribeca in a loft with wood floors, brick walls. Lots of sunlight, two stories. I have some art but the walls are clean and white because I do not want my eyes to be stressed.
DAISY: I think I know which crystal you use but what about the china?
MR: (Laughs) For china I only use Bernardaud, very high quality. It’s the best. I also know Michel Bernardaud very well. He outfitted my entire place as a gift when I moved here. He distributes the Riedel brand in France. My china has a very organic shape and it’s all white.
DAISY: What do you collect?
MR: I have a yellow Ducati 996 motorcycle in my apt that I sit on to get inspired.
DAISY: Favorite place in Europe where you go to relax?
MR: In the Cote d’Azure, the Hotel du Cap in Cap d’Antibes. In Italy, where my grandmother is from, we have a little property in Tuscany.
DAISY: Now let’s talk Miami, I know you come here a lot for business and pleasure. What draws you here?
MR: The ocean in Miami that I’m so in love with,
DAISY: Best wine selection in Miami?
MR: Prime 112.
DAISY: Best hotel here?
MR: The Setai. I’ve been coming here for three years. It’s perfectly located, I like the Zen style of the décor and I love the wonderful food at Setai. It’s fantastic. One of the best in Miami and they use my glasses exclusively.
DAISY: Favorite restaurant and bar or club?
MR: Joe’s Stone Crab on South Beach. I’ve been going for over 20 years. They know me so I don’t have to wait for hours. Bar, the Gansevoort upstairs.
DAISY: Are you tempted to move to Miami?
MR: Absolutely!
DAISY: Where are you off to now?
MR: I’m flying to L.A. then Bangkok, Korea and Japan. I’m opening a new retail store in Tokyo. We already have stores in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and five in Japan.
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