This would not have happened to the Queen

The royal household begins preparations a year before the arrival of the head of state, in whose honor a state banquet is to be held.

Preparing the room and setting the table takes five days. Perhaps a small consolation for private hosts.

Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of the state banquet in honor of then U.S. President Donald Trump:

“While the world has changed, we are always mindful of the original purpose of these structures: nations working together to secure a hard-won peace”

Your words of June 3, 2016 are more real and important than ever in light of the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Breaking bread together

Breaking bread over a meal creates shared experiences. There is no better opportunity to talk than over a meal together. This applies to both the private and business sectors.

The impact of time spent together around a table should not be underestimated. Invitations where you wish a French Exit was possible are usually in the minority.

After Carter, things went downhill

The English royal family still knows how to make excellent use of royal splendor for mutual relations. On the other side of the Atlantic, however, the state banquet has gone out of fashion.

Former U.S. President and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize James Earl Carter Junior still holds the record with 33 state banquets. President Barack Obama still hosted 6 state dinners, while former U.S. President Trump hosted exactly 2 state dinners, according to the U.S. National Archives source.

Glass stocks at the White House now so reduced that a state banquet could not be adequately stocked.

A polite inquiry to then-First Lady Melanie Trump did not result in any glass orders, according to the U.S. chief historian, although it would have also given her the opportunity to let the glassblowing art of her native Slovenia shine.

Hopes now rest on Dr. Jill Biden, who has already experienced the hospitality at Buckingham Palace with her husband, current U.S. President Joe Biden.

What glasses the household needs?

Of course, we all remember wonderful evenings on the beach in Italy, where the red wine tasted good even from the plainest glass or cup.

Nevertheless, investing in high-quality glasses in your own home makes sense if you want to appreciate the hard work of the winemakers in the vineyard and the work of the cellar master.

Fine nuances of a wine, champagne or other alcoholic beverages need a fine glass to come into its own.

The finer, the more flavor

Try your favorite wine in parallel in the finest Lobmeyr glass, in a medium glass and in a robust glass with a rolled rim and you will taste and smell the differences in taste and expressiveness.

At the time, the test was the main selling point of Professor Claus Josef Riedel, who developed fine glasses for the Austria Pavilion at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels and was later the first to create a broad market for fine, hand-blown glasses.

At that time, the competition in the similarly broad market still preferred crystal glasses that were as heavy as possible.

His first glassworks in Kufstein was the foundation stone of a later glass empire. With the Sommelier series of the time, he created an international success and enjoyed great prestige in the industry.

His grandson now runs a company with various glass brands in which the Sommelier Edition no longer plays a leading role.

Two glasses of the noblest provenance

Hosting a large private dinner with paper-thin glasses requires a big budget and good nerves. For an evening for two, you should have the finest glass in any case in the cabinet.

Plus 4

For larger invitations, experience shows that you should have at least 4 more of each type of glass in stock than the number of guests invited.

Despite the greatest care, glass always breaks during the preparations and the more exuberant and beautiful the evening becomes, the more vulnerable the glass is.

It’s worth it to be able to smile, reach into the cupboard for replacements and be happy about the lively guests.

If an exceptionally large party is planned in your own home, we recommend a specialized rental service, unless, like the royal household in England, they employ enough staff to wash and polish the glasses by hand.

The basic equipment

Of course, champagne glasses are part of the basic equipment, or would you have expected something else from GloriousMe?

Our recommendation is to invest in vintage champagne glasses right away, because even regular champagne has a nice perlage in them.

With more glasses for water, white wine and red wine you are well equipped, the one of them can usually be used well for beer.

The shape of the glass depends on your personal preference. A fine red wine wins with a wider glass that allows it plenty of oxygen and perfectly presents the aromas to your nose and palate.

For white wine, the trend (contrary to our tastes) is towards less acidity and therefore wider glasses.

We would always answer the question of whether it makes more sense to invest in excellent glasses that can be used for white wine and red wine at the same time, or rather in slightly cheaper more specialized glasses for white wine and red wine, with the better universal glasses.

A fine universal glass for red and white wine beats a more specialized not-so-fine glass.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. If you are excited about the glasses at a restaurant or when inviting friends over, ask what brand they are.

There are special editions for the hospitality industry, but a consultant at a specialty store or an e-commerce store with advice can tell you which residential glass is the closest match to that particular gastro edition.

The rest is a matter of taste

For all other glass areas, it depends on your individual preferences. Martini glasses are rather rare in the private home, as a well-designed bar and its atmosphere are part of the overall experience of a martini cocktail.

Otherwise, whether you invest in glasses for a neat G&T or a nice Scotch whisky depends on your personal preferences.

The legend of the House of Riedel writes that Winston Churchill preferred the glasses from the Austrian house. We can perfectly understand this for the sommelier vintage champagne glasses and the fine sommelier whisky glasses.

Fragile like life

Corona and the war against Ukraine have once again drastically shown us how fragile life can be and how important family, friendships and alliances are.

Every common snack, every shared meal, every friendly dinner, every bread broken together, every diplomatic reception, they all carry the grain of wheat of a peace, because time well spent together unites.

On December 3, 2019, Her Majesty the Queen received all the heads of state of the countries that are members of NATO at a reception at Buckingham Palace on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of NATO.

We should take every opportunity to sit together at the same table and our favorite toast is to all the people of Ukraine in the hope that it will be possible to sit together at the same table in Europe and that the terror will come to an end as soon as possible.

Cover Lobmeyr Vienna © davies+starr, Drinks service No. 238 “Patrician”, design by Josef Hoffmann, 1917 | Champagne collage Lobmeyr Vienna designs 1856-1917 © davies+starr

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, Queen Elizabeth II of England state dinner at Buckingham Palace 2019 © World Politics Archive (WPA) / Alamy Stock Photo

State Reception President George W. Bush honoring Queen Elizabeth II of England at the White House 2007, in the State Dining Room in Washington, DC. @ Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo