I find in my house, a coffee cup works just fine as a wine glass. ;)

most of mine are stemless, riedel or these cool handblown ones we got locally that have silver in the glass (makes it sort of change color). I do have a couple of good stemmed glasses for the rare occasions that I serve either a very expensive wine or any white wine. I wouldn't ever serve chilled wine in a stemless glass because it heats up so quickly from one's hands.

I prefer to use the proper size wine glass, and I do prefer a stem too. Mainly, I find that you can smell and taste the wine better in a proper wine glass. I found this true when I drank a wine out of a regular tumbler that I had tasted multiple times previously in a wine glass, and it did not have the same taste in the tumbler...it wasn't as good.

I think it's also important to note that it does not have to be a large investment to purchase stemmed wine glasses. There are definitely affordable options out there. But hey, just because it's what I like doesn't mean that there's no other way to enjoy wine!

We use both. One of my favorite set of glasses are stemless ones we bought from Crate and Barrel years ago (they no longer sell them) that look like little juice glasses so they aren't rounded like the Riedel ones (although I do have a pair of those Chardonnay glasses which are great too). The CB glasses just have such a casual vibe that they are my go-to glasses when entertaining is a low fuss affair such as a bbq or an event that features other kids and their parents (the stemmed glasses are just asking to be broken by kids just being kids).

We also lack proper "wine" glasses, which isn't to say that we don't have stemware. We have a large variety of martini glasses that pull double duty quite well and we end up with fewer glasses in our cupboards!

When I was younger, I had a collection of formal crystal wine glasses and flutes, but we're so clumsy that they're mostly broken. In fact, we break so many glasses that I now buy vintage ones from thrift stores - I like red wine in stemless glasses, and vintage ones are less bulky to hold, with pleasingly thin rims. For champagne, I have the old-fashioned 'coupes', which feel nice and retro.

Also - stemmed glasses are a pain to fit into the dishwasher, and ours get broken that way too.

While we do own stemmed glasses we never use them--they are too easily upset by cats tails.

I think the answer depends essentially on who you are and what you're drinking. If you're a casual wine drinker who would be just as happy with a soda, the type of glass you're using probably doesn't make a lot of difference to your experience. Likewise, if your preferred libation comes in a carton, the subtlety is already dead, so save your money and use something plastic. (I should note, I'm not a wine snob by far, just pointing out that purpose and what's being poured make a big difference.)

Stemware is important when your wine is good, and your goal is to truly enjoy drinking it. Good stemware, as the name suggests, has a stem, which helps keep the heat from your 98.6° hands out of the wine your thoughtful host has hopefully chilled appropriately. Likewise, it prevents fingerprints on the glass, which obscure your ability to see the colour of the wine - and any imperfections that aren't obvious from looking straight down. You won't see the same through thick glassware muddled with time.

The shape of the glass does play an essential role in what you smell when you put the glass to your mouth, and as we know, smell is a huge part of what we taste. If you want to taste everything the wine has to offer, you have to smell everything it has to offer, and properly-shaped glasses make that a possibility. That doesn't mean you have to taste juniper and fresh apricots and early-spring-Russian-gooseberries, just that you get a much more rounded flavour by being able to actually smell what's in the glass.

I'm not one to sit around pondering the imperceptible notes and accents of every wine that crosses my path, but I do enjoy knowing that I'm tasting my money's worth. I keep four basic wine-specific glasses in my bar: a large, high & wide crystal tulip glass for special reds and the occasional white I plan to really enjoy; a shorter, wider, and rounder glass goblet for more ordinary reds; a small glass higher-than-wide tulip glass for most whites; and high & thin glass champagne flutes for anything with bubbles. Between the four, I always have an option that fits the wine of choice.

I have a couple close friends who gesture a lot when they talk, so I thought it would be safer to go with stemless :)

I read in an Apt. Thrpy post once that one's temperature can affect the flavor of wine, hence using a glass with a stem.

Anyway, I'm all for using whatever you have on hand. :-)

We used to be tumbler people, and I never really noticed the difference. But, now, we seldom drink wine and find ourselves wanting to savor the experience (say, after the baby has gone to bed and I want to unwind). So, we bought some very nice Italian wineglasses for a very reasonable price at Marshalls. I would really recommend looking at a discount store first for wineglasses, especially if you're prone to breaking them (see: my husband) or if you have little ones afoot. They have alternating inventory, but the prices can't be beat. Salud!

I use both - nice stemware for company, and stemless (or even just a rocks glass!) when it's just me or close friends. To each their own, absolutely no reason to fret either way.

To the author - well thought and well written. The way we set the table, drink our wine, dress our bodies and decorate our home all reflect different facets of our personality. Thank you for bringing it to notice, it's something to reflect upon.

IKEA sells inexpensive wine glasses. If they get broken (which they do in my house), I don't care because I didn't spend that much on them. We have a set of stemless glasses and ones with a stem:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=wine+glasses

I just can't bring myself to buy expensive, high quality wine glasses because I am clumsy. The IKEA ones are perfect for me.

Agreement with @MISPLACEDTEXAN and @JUSTIN R. I like nice wines, so having the proper wine glasses for wine tasting is essential to get all of the aroma of the wine and keep it at the right temperature. If you're a casual drinker, anything goes!

I like a nice thin lipped stemmed glass but right now I'm in the midst of a kitchen renovation and the sink in the basement we are using is 18" deep and slopes to the center. We had 4 big wine glass when we started this 12 weeks ago. Now we are using red solo cups until I get a real sink in a real kitchen. Not environmentally friendly but it's saving my sanity. The wine helps.

I bought some beautiful red wine glasses from C&B when they were on super sale a couple of months back and I really love them. My bf and I are both in grad school so there isn't alot of money or luxury to go around, however, every once in a while we'll buy a nice-ish bottle of wine for ourselves or for company and I love serving it in our stately stemmed glasses, its a little bit formal, sure, but for people who regularly work in jeans and sweats, sometimes a little bit of enforced formality makes the evening seem special and gives us a chance to enjoy a bit of luxury.

I've worked in restaurants for years and have always gotten nice 2nd hand wine glasses from them, traveling in Italy we drank from 'jelly' glasses, it was still good folks. Coffee mugs and plastic will always be a no-no tho. Let your wine and your mood be your guide

My favorite are also the stemless wine glasses from Crate and Barrel.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/dining-and-entertaining/wine-glasses/stemless-wine-glass/f9086

If glass tumblers were good enough for The Godfather, they're good enough for me.

Completely agree with JustinR - I have appropriate glasses for expensive wine to use when the 'mood' calls for it just like vintage tumblers or bistro glasses when I'm feeling more whatever. Bottom line: use what you want. I also prefer beer in the bottle not a can or a frosted mug but that's another story...

While Riedel, the major player in the field, would have you feel like a different wine glass is required for every varietal - this is hogwash. That said, a real wine glass will enhance your pleasure of the relevant wine in many different ways. In addition to the more "psychological" impact you described, a well structured glass will enable the right amount of oxygen to mix with the wine which helps release more aromas from the wine, substantially increasing your enjoyment. Beyond the aesthetics, having a stem does prevent your body heat from warming the warm but most wine is consumed rapidly enough for this not to matter and further, much wine is consumed too cold so a little warming is probably a good thing. Therefore the stemless glasses are also usually more than sufficient. For more info on this, check out an article I recently wrote on the topic: http://www.yossiescorkboard.com/?page_id=458.

I prefer stemless wine glasses. I picked up a couple inexpensive ones from World Market. Stemmed wine glasses just seem to be asking for a spill!

Oh, please, where are the glasses in the image from? My Nana used to have some, and I would love to add some to my home!

If it feels good, do it!