As a wine taster I am always interested in how wine tastes in different glasses. Many times the verdict is simply 'different' - not necessarily better or worse, but rather a personal preference. While I have definitely have my firm favorites I am always on the lookout for different styles, shapes and materials in glassware.
Riedel, Spiegelau and Schott Zweisel remain firm favorite brands. They are highly respected and have stood the test of time. Each makes several ranges, so you can gradually ease yourself into the world of fine wine glasses without having to go straight to the most expensive.
In seeking out other new styles and brands, I am always on the lookout for glassware that is fun, even a bit different, but that works. However, I do draw the line at many of the brightly (even outrageously) decorated, hand-painted glasses on offer. Not for me personally - a little too much visual distraction and often a discombobulating mouth feel. Another popular trend, which I am not so fond of, is serving wine in Mason jars. These are perfectly fine for juice, water or soda, but the glass is really too thick to savor wine. That said I did find lots of interesting gems.
Govino: One great discovery was the range of tumbler style wine glasses from from Govino, made from a proprietary BPA free polymer (i.e PETG - a clear amorphous thermoplastic). They are obviously not fine crystal, but they are really surprisingly thin and feel good to drink from. The wines I tasted from them were certainly very flavorful. An added bonus is they are also shatterproof, so perfect for large and outdoor gatherings, and reusable. A set of 8 costs $24.99 from Amazon. They are also available from Wine Enthusiast.
Libbey: I am also impressed by the improvements and evolution in the range of wine glasses from Libbey. The current ranges are stylish and are made from reasonably thin glass. However, their best ones are quite expensive. Available at WineStuff and Amazon.
Eisch: Another less well-known brand that I particularly like is Eisch - not the cheapest though, a set of two wine glasses costs about $50. But they are elegant, with nice weight to the stem, and they have good-sized bowl to enhance aromas and flavors. Available on Winestuff.
Peugeot: Yes, the well-known French car manufacturer is into wine glasses, since 2006 when it acquired a French wine glass producer. If you really feel like splurging out try the "Les Impitoyables" etched range - especially their Champagne flutes, which I so love. But they are pricey at about $100 for a set of two - a great idea for a special gift perhaps. Their Esprit range is about half that price. Available on Winestuff.
Stolzle: Another brand I discovered a while back while at a friend's house for dinner was Stolzle. Made in Germany, these glasses are elegant, produced from fine lead-free crystal, and cost about $70 for a set of 6 of the Grandezza range, so not bad less than $12 each. Available on WineStuff.
I would love to hear from our readers on their favorite wines glasses and why they like them!
Related: Do Good Wine Glasses Really Matter? 7 Factors Affecting How a Wine Glass Works
Mary Gorman-McAdams, MW (Master of Wine), is a New York based wine educator, freelance writer and consultant.
(Images: as linked)
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Those stemless ones are cute!
I have to disagree with the Libbey rec though- their glasses are ok, but for wine glasses, the ones I always see are thick and cheap feeling.
My favorite deal is the Reidel's for Target. Very affordable and a good variety of styles available in good quality glass.
Those Govino glasses are glorious!!! I was at a music festival a few years ago where they used them in the wine tent. You could buy them for $1 (!) and then use them for all of your pours. So many people threw them away, I was pulling them out of the trash bins, took them back to the hotel room and washed them in the sink, then packed them in my suitcase and flew them home with me. That's how much I love them, I rummaged through the garbage for them. You would never think they are plastic by looking at them, they look like really delicate glass, and they are so comfortable to hold with the thumb dimple. I normally don't care for stemless glasses, but I LOVE these.
I have both Reidel and Schott glasses but my favorite glass for champagne or white wine are my Zalto glasses made in Austria they are very thin, light and elegant http://www.zaltoglas.at/en_sort_weis.php
Does anyone know if leaded crystal wine glasses are harmful? I just bought them the other day brand new. From what I can find online it's sketchy at best. They are beautiful and I'd hate to have to return them. Thanks!!
Call me crazy, but I haven't found a wine glass I like better than the IKEA Irvig (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70133068/). It's handblown and has a lovely thin rim that's a pleasure to drink from, yet it's durable and I've never had any problem with breakage. Style-wise, I adore the modern angular shape and I like that it's on the small side, since storage is at a premium in my house. And (drumroll please) they're only $2.99 each!
Spiegelau are my favorite. Reasonably priced, attractive, great quality glass, and they stand up well to my dishwasher and hard water.
A well lived life, in my opnion, means that you break a wine glass every now and then. And it shouldn't break the bank to replace them.
I inherted a set of Waterford glasses that run about $400 each to replace... guess how often I use them? And guess how angry I still am at my X for insisting that I ship the box of 12 glasses home in a Pod with the furniture, rather than carry them on the plane...and ended up with 9 glasses. gggrrrrrrrrrrrrr
The best wine glasses I ever used, from which wine tasted better than from any other glass, were used during the best meal I every had, which was in a small restaurant in the main square of Bassano, Italy.
Everything was amazing and perfect. Even more perfect, we had just wandered in, trying to find lunch before all the kitchens shut down at 2 pm.
I've been trying to find those glasses ever since. I think they might be these:
http://www.zwieselkristallglas-shop.com/shop/productline/productline.action?category=000015&productline=000026&brand=schott
They were oversized, crystal, and the bowl was define by a sharp angle.
At home, we have Kosta Boda Gold Line, which are beautiful, but which I hate using because they are expensive and difficult to replace (many shapes have been discontinued, and others are difficult to find, and thus, expensive).
Despite this, I still yearn for Baccarat's Harcourt.
The Govino are great, a very clumsy friend of mine bought them, but be warned, dont leave them in the sink because if you empty your kettle on them, they melt!
Libbey glasses have a rim you can see from space, no serious wine drinker would accept them!