Not so long ago, Forbes published an article on what exactly defines a “luxury” wine. The article went into attributes such pricing, quality and heritage. They even mentioned that the farming practices involved in the growing of the grapes could play a role in determining whether a wine is “luxury” or not. The article goes on to say "Luxury defies precise definition since it changes with time."

One thing that does not defy description and that we are absolutely certain of, however, is that for wines that you consider to be luxury, our new STARlight Collection is the perfect choice. With STARlight you can maximize your enjoyment and appreciation of your own luxury wine no matter the price, the heritage - or how the grapes are grown.

With our STARlight, a special feature of this new series is the thickness - specifically the fineness of the glass. For example, the stem has a diameter that is about ten percent smaller than that of conventional machine-made glasses. And the goblet also has a noticeably thinner wall thickness compared to other glasses from machine production. In this way the STARlight series combines lightness with extraordinary elegance. They are perfect for high-end gastronomy, 5-star hotels and – of course – luxury wines.

New STARlight exudes elegance and exclusivity with a high degree of functionality. They also include the usual features of Stölzle glasses being dishwasher safe with a high breakage resistance making them ideal for both professional and home dining.

So, no matter what you consider to be your luxury wine, you can always be assured a luxury wine experience with our new STARlight Collection wine glasses.

Link to Forbes article: ​https://www.forbes.com/sites/lmowery/2019/10/22/what-is-luxury-wine/#3c3064b53bc3

​By Mark Roland, Vice President Sales – Retail & Consumer

As we start to come out of the coronavirus pandemic, we are emerging back into a different retail landscape here in America and around the world. For sure, restaurants have been disrupted, but right alongside them are America’s retailers. Our estimation is that the brick and mortar retailers will shrink by 25% or so in terms of numbers of locations.

​And, with consumers currently leery of going back into retail shops, that number could grow as we begin to see that many cannot survive the time it takes for the full recovery to happen. So, we are definitely looking at a shrinking overall marketplace.
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That said, we’ve seen a strong uptick in online shopping. Retailers and catalog houses are skyrocketing upwards in terms of where consumers have gone to buy their glassware. And, of course, as that business model changes it puts different pressures on us in terms of warehousing, logistics and even how we tell the Stolzle story.
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That’s the great thing about being the actual manufacturer versus an importer or someone is simply sourcing glassware from a factory somewhere in the world. Stolzle can continue to adjust and ensure that the consumer continues to get a great customer experience whether they shop in a gourmet or kitchen store or they buy their Stolzle glassware online.

Today, Stolzle still has its roots in the small, independent retailers and gourmet & kitchen stores. However, with the growth of online shopping we have been able to expand the assortment that we offer to today’s consumer. Manufacturing in Germany and warehousing here in America allows us to expand and increase our inventories, making sure that our consumer customers get exactly the product they want – when they want it. Providing world-class customer service has always been a top priority for Stolzle.

​A great example of that quality and attention to detail is the new, proprietary “pulled stem” technology that our factory has developed. Now, many of our machine-made wine glasses, like our STARlight stemware collection, that has a thinner, more elegant - and more durable – stem. The new STARlight stemware collection is classic at first sight, but trend setting at first touch. The special feature of the new series is the thickness - specifically the fineness of the glass. For example, the stem has a diameter that is about ten percent smaller than that of conventional machine-made glasses. And the goblet also has a noticeably thinner wall thickness compared to other glasses from machine production. In this way the STARlight series combines lightness with extraordinary elegance.
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All of these attributes give our new STARlight a look and feel that reminds users of mouth-blown crystal that would cost several times the price of a machine made product. This collection is another great example of Stolzle’s innovation, skill and knowledge at the factory level provides customers of all types with a much-improved, better performing overall product.