Wine glasses help make your wine taste and smell even better. Fortunately, buying the perfect wine glass for your wine is easy and doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
No matter which glass you want to buy, it’s important to look out for a few things. This way, you’ll get the right glass for you and your wine-tasting needs.
To learn more about choosing the best wine glasses for your home wine collection, continue reading below.
In This Article
What to Look for When Buying a Wine Glass
Wine glasses come in many shapes and designs, and each one serves a purpose. Depending on what wine you drink, there are glasses that are made with that style of wine in mind.
By taking your time to decide what to buy and knowing what makes each wine glass special, you’ll be able to select what you need. Below are different things you should take into consideration before buying your new wine glass.
Choose the Right Glasses for Your Wine
The first thing to think about is matching your wine glasses with the styles of wine you drink. Nobody wants to sip an aged bordeaux out of a champagne flute!
Choosing the right glass for your preferred style of wine is a way of preserving its best qualities. It highlights your wines aromas, tastes, and color the way the winemaker intended.
To bring out the aromatics of red wines and full-bodied whites, select a glass with a deep and wide bowl. For crisp white wines, look for glasses with thinner bowls and tapered rims that accentuate the wine’s aromas.
Consider Buying a Set
For many people, choosing one style of wine to drink every night is impossible. People love to mix things up. That’s why buying a few sets of different glasses is an investment well made.
You’ll be able to match the wine you’re drinking with its correct glass. Having different wine glasses at your disposal will make wine drinking even more enjoyable and ensure that you have the right glass for every occasion.
Choose High-Quality Glass or Crystal
Save the plastic cups for barbecues and college parties. Wine should be enjoyed out of a proper wine glass.
This is because your wine’s aromas are delicate. Materials like plastic or metal will give off aromas and flavors of their own. Glass and crystal are neutral and won’t disrupt your wine.
Another plus is that glass and crystal are clear. This makes it easy for you to see your wine in all its beauty. When tasting wine, it’s important to get a clear view of your wine so you can see its color and find any sediment or unwanted particles.
Prioritize Quality
You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for a good wine glass. Having a good quality wine glass will be a small investment into your wine drinking experience.
Make sure your glass is durable and made from a reputable glassware company. This will ensure you get the quality that you deserve and have glasses that will last a long time.
Make Sure you Love the Design
There are plenty of beautiful designs on the market, no matter what style of wine glass you’re looking to buy. From pinot noir glasses to dessert wine glasses, each glass maker is unique.
That’s why it’s important to choose a wine glass that you like. Choose a style that fits not just with your wine but with you. There are so many options to choose from, you should never feel like you should settle.
Stay Within Your Budget
Wine glasses should be of good quality and look elegant. That doesn’t mean they should always be expensive. Some of the best glasses on the market come in sets under $100 and they will last a long time.
Take your time finding the right wine glass that’s within your budget. Of course, if you want something extra special, you can find beautiful designer glasses that come at a higher price tag.
Listen to the Experts
Sommeliers and wine experts get really excited about wine glasses. That’s why, if you read excellent reviews about a certain glass, you should get excited too.
When you study fine wine or serve it for a living, having a glass that heightens the wine tasting experience is worth praising. Listen to the experts and prioritize glasses with high ratings amongst wine experts.
Many wine experts will test a glass for different styles of wine and list what they like or dislike about it. You’ll get a full summary of the pros and cons of a glass and learn more about which wines work the best.
Decide Between Stemmed or Stemless
Choosing between stemmed and stemless glasses can sometimes take some time and research. Either way you go, you’ll find some great glasses in both styles.
Stemmed glasses preserve your wine’s temperature and are easier to swirl. However, stemless are less breakable and better for busy households.
Wine Glass Designs
Wine glasses are designed to highlight the aromas, colors, and tastes of your wine. Each part of the glass serves a specific purpose.
First, wine glasses have various sized bowls to hold the wine. The bigger and wider the bowl, the more air is exposed to the wine. Some wines like cabernet sauvignon work better with glasses with big bowls, while rieslings prefer skinnier bowls.
Similar to bowl size are the rims. The wider the rims, the more aromatics escape from the glass. Also, thinner rims help facilitate easy sipping and tasting.
Finally, many wine glasses have elegant stems. These stems help to control your wine’s temperature by keeping the body heat from your hand away from the glass.
With each of these parts, your wine glass works as the perfect wine-tasting tool. Just like each wine is different, each glass has its own unique features, which make it stand out from the rest.
Wine Glass Styles
As explained above, there are plenty of wine glasses on the market that are made for various types of wine. Each style of glass has a design that highlights the unique characteristics of each wine.
From deep bowled glasses made for library wines to narrow champagne flutes made for events, there’s something for everyone. Below are some of the most common styles of wine glasses and the wines they’re made for helping you choose the perfect glass for you.
Universal Glasses
These handy glasses incorporate several designs from various wine styles to create a glass that serves all types of wine. From whites to complex reds, these glasses accentuate aromas while preserving a wine’s structure.
Although these glasses are great for everyday use, they may not be the best for wine tasting. For wines such as aged Bordeaux, Burgundy, or complex white wines, having a specific glass that’s made for them will heighten your experience.
Common Red Wine Glasses
Designed for versatility, these glasses have smaller bowls and more compact rims. These glasses are ideal for everyday reds and medium-bodied varieties like cabernet franc and merlot.
Common red glasses are often more durable than specialized glasses. They are common in restaurants and homes and are perfect vessels for everyday table wine.
Specialty Red Wine Glasses
Crafted to enhance the aromas of both complex red wines and library wines, these glasses have wide bowls and delicate rims. They are crucial for bringing the primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas out in special red wines.
Examples of these glasses include pinot noir, Bordeaux, and Burgundy glasses. These are sometimes the most expensive and well-made glasses on the market, making them suitable for special occasions and events.
Bold White Wine Glasses
White wine glasses come in many shapes and sizes. Each of these styles is made for a certain type of white wine.
First, are the glasses made for the big and bold white wines. These glasses have larger bowls which aerate complex wines and bring out their secondary aromas.
These glasses work wonderfully for oak-aged chardonnay and full-bodied whites, such as viognier. Because of their size and structure, they are often very delicate and cost more than other styles of glasses.
Light Bodied White Wine Glasses
These elegant glasses elevate high-acidity white wines such as riesling and pinot gris. Featuring narrow bowls and tapered openings, they concentrate the wine’s acidity and condensed aromas along the rim, which condenses their aromas right near the nose.
Sparkling Wine Glasses
Sparkling wines, such as champagne, prosecco, and cava, work well in these glasses. With their narrow bowls and rims, they reserve the refreshing bubbles for you to enjoy through the tasting.
Port and Dessert Glasses
For sweet and fortified wines, these small and compact glasses work perfectly. Crafted to concentrate the wine’s flavors and aromas, they will make sweet wines and strong fortified wines taste and smell amazing.
Dessert glasses work well with port, ice wines, and late harvest rieslings. If you love sweet wines, then adding these beautiful glasses to your collection is a must.
Why Choosing the Right Wine Glass Matters
Having the right wine glass for your wine improves your tasting experience. If you love wine and want to maximize its flavors and aromas, then take your time to choose the right wine glass for you.
No matter what style of wine you prefer, you’ll find the perfect glass on the market. From pricey specialty glasses made for library wines to everyday glasses, there’s something within every budget and style preference.
The most important things to consider are the glass’ quality, materials, reviews, and style. You also want to find a glass that will suit your wine tasting needs while staying within your budget.
Take your time, do your research, and make buying your wine glasses fun. In the end, when you find that perfect wine glass for you and your wine, it will make a world of difference.
