Ashcroft Red Wine Decanter. Hand Crafted Lead Free Crystal Wine Decanter.

This decanter is beautiful! I received my decanter with a black circle spot in the center of the base. I posted this information on line to see if it was a fill mark or a defect. After several replies it was determined that it was a defect. In trying to avoid the returning process so close to the holidays, I used a nylon scrubby and some dish soap and scrubbed it out. Thankfully, I was able to remove the mark and it didn't scratch the glass. Ashcroft should consider a QA to inspect all products for defects before they are sent out. Not sure what the big deal about the paper box is about but it was nice. My decanter will be on the table or in the china closet so the box will not be used or saved. The decanter was appropriately packaged. Overall, this was a great purchase and I wouldn't think twice to order again!

Ordered two as gifts. Both arrived in beautiful packaging. One survived the shipping the other did not. The recipient for the intact decanter was ecstatic. Beautiful! I tried to replace the other via Amazon and Ashcroft directly. No help. No stock for three months, so my friends did not get a Christms present. Ashcroft needs to plan inventory better.

Very nice decanter. Beautifully made. However, the only complaint I have is with the foam mold that holds the decanter in the box. My decanter didn't fit in the mold at all. I bought this as a gift so I think it takes a little of the "WOW" factor away when the decanter doesn't nestle snuggly in the mold. I'm mildly surprised that the decanter didn't get damaged in shipping since it's free to flop around inside the box. The founder of Ashcroft contacted me about this issue and told me that every decanter is hand made and that there may be a variance in the fit with each decanter. He asked me to send him a photo of my issue to see if the variance is larger than normal and I did just that. So I like the decanter and the very nice box its stored in but not the foam insert.

So I'm going to start off this review by saying that I'm a huge Riedel fan. I own over a dozen Sommelier Bordeaux glasses, countless other Riedel glasses and several Riedel decanters including the Amadeo which looks exactly like this Ashcroft decanter. Both pieces are beautiful, both are expensive, but what you get with this Ashcroft decanter is that it's of the same quality as the Riedel version. I came across the Ashcroft decanter while searching for more Riedel decanters. What appealed to me is that this is the only item they make, so they concentrate on it and make it pristine. The quality control is strict as I've never gotten an imperfect one. It's non leaded so you can leave a bottle of wine sitting in there to breathe for an hour or two before enjoying -unlike leaded glass where you have to consume it fairly quickly as you're not supposed to let wine sit in them for too long because of the health risks. A gorgeous box that makes gift giving that much pleasurable (not to mention the amazing protection it provides).And it's well made. It sits level, the weight is perfect, the top funnels are even with each other, there are no bubbles whatsoever throughout the entire piece, and it looks marvelous!All this for half the price of the Riedel Amadeo! To me, it's a no brainer. Some say that leaded crystal looks better, but I honestly could not tell the difference upon opening and using mine.Get it while the goings good!Don't sleep on it :)

Have you ever wanted a wine decanter with all the elegance, beauty, and body shape of a swan (or perhaps a python that got cut off before it got to the good parts)? Well I did.All joking aside, in spite of relying on them heavily for every purchase I make, I never write reviews on Amazon. But this product deserves five stars. My mother loves to entertain and my father enjoys wine. Not in like an alcoholic sense, more like he goes to parties and drinks it sometimes because he likes the taste. Anyway, they've both always wanted one of those fancy wine decanters that looks like a glass flower pot and costs hundreds of dollars because apparently the manufacturers think everyone who buys them is drunk enough to spend all that money on a super-sized cup.Needless to say, when I saw the price on this thing I was like "yes, I will buy that." I've held and judged a lot of things in my life, but this thing is definitely up there on my list of top rated things I've held and judged. It's beautifully crafted, feels sturdy, contains all my dad's wine, and the box it comes in is very pretty. I actually want to frame it a little bit. I probably would've if that jerk behind the framing desk at Michael's didn't scoff so audibly when I brought in my Doctor Who Exploding TARDIS poster.Seriously, it's an excellent product. It looks great, it feels solid, it's less than half the price of most other decanters (what are they made out of, crystallized angel tears?), and it shipped really fast. I'd highly recommend it!