Over his decades-long career René grew frustrated by the wide array of different wine glasses meant to “improve” on a specific variety. Convinced that a universal wine glass could be designed to flatter all types of wines, René embarked on a journey that would culminate in a glass that has won over some of the wine industry’s most discerning professionals: Sommeliers, Winemakers, and Chefs.
René Gabriel, “The Pope of Wine”
“It was never the intention to make a wine glass but none of them gave me the pleasure and enjoyment I was looking for.”
It's All in the Details
“Glass blowing itself is ancient and artisanal, making each Gabriel-Glas unique.”
The iconic Gabriel-Glas silhouette—that slightly conical, gently curved bowl—was inspired by the form of an unfurling rose. The shape, size, and proportions of the bowl act as an extension of the nose itself bringing the olfactory senses in close contact to the wine. The size of the aperture, the distance to the widest part of the glass, and the concave sides were all researched and developed to create a synergy that yields unbelievable wine enjoyment.
Attention to Detail Drives the Process
Raw Material
Carefully sourced, low-iron sand is blended with a proprietary mix of metals and purifiers
Blown into Shape
A single ingot of molten crystal is blown into the shape of the bowl either by man or machine
Pulled Stem
From that same piece of crystal the stem is pulled and the footplate is formed all without a seam
Laser Cut
The rim of the glass is laser cut and diamond polished to be incredible thin and chip resistant
Meticulously Engineered To Be Your One For All Universal Wine Glass
A true, universal glass built to flatter red, white, rose, or sparkling wine
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A Note From Our CEO
If you’ve made it this deep into our website, then you are probably as fascinated by this glass as I am. In fact, long before my wife and I had the chance to acquire Gabriel-Glas North America, we would often find ourselves in a pre-dinner thumb-wrestling match to decide which one of us “got to use the good glass.” Not that our cupboard wasn’t overflowing with an extraordinary mélange of other stems—quite the contrary—but there was just something so alluring about the GG. Elegant, balanced, gorgeous, and most importantly: transparent. And, I’m not referring to the neutral color of the crystal itself, but rather the way the glass could disappear in the experience allowing the wine to shine just as the winemaker intended. And isn’t that the highest calling of a great wine glass, to disappear?
Our Leadership Team
Jonah Beer
Principal & CEO, Gabriel-Glas North America
Jonah Beer is a 25-year veteran of the Napa Valley wine business having started his career as a glass washer—or as he renamed the job, “crystal engineer”—at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Although polishing stemware suited him well, he quickly worked his way up to Director of Sales & Marketing. From there he moved on to become Vice President of Frog’s Leap which he ran for 18 years. Today, Jonah and his wife Sara have their own Napa Valley winery: Pilcrow, and a fine wine import company: True North Wine Merchants. Most recently Jonah led a select group of investors to acquire Gabriel-Glas North America bringing him right back to where it all started—polishing stemware.
DLynn Proctor
Partner, Gabriel-Glas North America
DLynn Proctor has been a figure in the wine industry for more than 20 years. During his early career DLynn was an influential Sommelier known for building restaurant lists and training programs. He has spent the last decade in global leadership roles with Penfolds Winery and Fantesca Estate & Winery focusing on import/export, sales, marketing, strategy, and consumer relations. DLynn also starred in all four of the Somm documentaries and was an Associate Producer on, and appeared in, Netflix’s feature film, “Uncorked.” He can currently be seen in Kevin Hart’s “Hart to Heart” on PeacockTV.