Zalto, the new darlings of the stemware world, are receiving rave reviews, and from our experience, it's justified.
From Lettie Teague in an article published in the Wall Street Journal
'...Once more, there were stark differences—the bulbous Spiegelau Burgundy glass made the Meursault seem fatter and flatter while in the Zalto Universal glass, it was more minerally, showing a higher level of acidity. In short, it just seemed more precise. I tried them both over and over. The Spiegelau shows the fruit and the Zalto shows the minerality, said Mr. Sohm...'
Handblown in Austria, these glasses manage to be light and thin, qualities everyone desires in a stem, yet tough enough for the manufacturer to recommend putting them in the dishwasher. Read that last line again. The manufacturer recommends you put these high end stems in the dishwasher. And they're right. We've been putting these Zalto stems in the dishwasher almost every night for the last two months.
When you see words like 'thin' and 'delicate' in reviews, it's in reference to how they feel in your hand, not to how they hold up. The reason they are tougher than the competition is because they are handblown in one piece from the bowl all the way down to the base of the stem. The weak point, where the stem meets the bowl, is eliminated.
Yes, they are delicate AND strong. It really can't be overstated.
Some info from the Zalto website:
Zalto Denk'Art Champagne Stem
