Great Wineglasses: Are They Worth the Investment?

Are good wineglasses worth the money? Does a good wineglass enhance the wine? Should you use different glassware for red, white and sparkling wines? Are all good wineglasses expensive?

In my opinion, the wineglass matters. However, as with wine itself, there are many opinions about wineglasses, and, as expected, a great deal of snobbery. From my experience tasting wine professionally for many years, here are a few of my thoughts on what really matters in a wineglass.

When selecting wineglasses, certain things about each variety of glass do make a difference in the wine-drinking experience. Here's a look at some of the factors in wineglasses, and how much I think each actually can affect experience.

The size and shape of the bowl - The larger the bowl the better the wine's aromas can circulate and manifest themselves. Red wineglasses are bigger, since red wines need more time and air to open up. Beyond this, anything regarding the bowl shape and size is a personal consideration.

The stem length - The stem of the glass allows us to hold the glass without having our hand on the actual bowl and 'interfering' with the wine's temperature. No more, no less. Stem length is a personal as well as practical consideration. Longer stems look elegant, but break more easily and are more difficult to load in a dishwasher and to store. Shorter stems are more practical, especially for everyday use.

Stemless - Over the past few years, stemless wine glasses have become increasingly popular. Rightly so, as they are practical, especially for everyday and casual wine-drinking occasions. I am a total convert, but more about that in next week's post

Fine lead crystal or regular glass - The finer the crystal the thinner the glass. This does make a difference and enhance the wine drinking experience. However, the finer the crystal the more expensive the glass. Thankfully, today there are many non-lead crystal wine glasses that are also thin.

Plain, colored or etched - In general plain, unadorned glasses are better for serious tasting, as they allow you to examine all the visual aspects of the wine such as the color — its intensity as well as viscosity. However, most wine drinking situations are not 'serious tastings' so go for whatever you prefer.

Champagne/sparkling wine flutes - The 'flute' shaped glass is the best for Champagne and sparkling wines as it allows the wine to manifest the bubbles with greatest intensity and duration. However, I also like to use a regular white wineglass, which has a wider bowl and mouth, as it allows me to better experience the aromas of the sparkling wine and Champagne.

If you enjoy wine, investing in good glassware is worth it. However, as important is how you care for your wineglasses. Over the next two weeks I will be posting on my favorite wineglasses for different occasions and different budgets, as well as important tips on best care for your wineglasses.

Meanwhile, two great summer wines that I enjoyed this week were:

• 2008 Arregi Getariako Txakolina, DO Txakoli $15.99 - Don't be put off by the name. Txakoli (pronounced "tch-ack-oli' is from the Basque region of Northern Spain near San Sebastian. Light bodied (only 11.5% alcohol), crisp acidity and full of mouth-watering juicy fruit. For me this works best with shellfish or grilled summer vegetables.

• 2008 Burgáns Albariño, DO Rías Baixas $15.99 - From Galicia in Northwestern Spain, I always keep a few bottles of this wine on hand, as it is so versatile. Brimming with ripe stone fruit and hints of tropical fruit. Very refreshing with good length. I pair this with all sorts of dishes. I love it with falafel dishes or spicy wok-fried shrimp.

Mary Gorman-McAdams, DWS is a New York based wine educator, freelance writer and consultant. She hold the Diploma in Wine & Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), and is a candidate in the Master of Wine Program.

(Image: Crate & Barrel)

Comments (24)

I'm definitely an advocate of having different glasses for the different types of wines, however I am all about cheap due to my penchant for rapidly destroying all things breakable, especially fragile glass things.

I love my stemless wine glasses. They are wonderful for casual drinking & hanging with friends. We have a few sets of crystal wine glasses we received as wedding presents and we use them for "special occasions" but I hate hand-washing them (and have broken one before). Plus, I don't think that the wine we drink on a daily basis is expensive enough to make a difference!

I absolutely love using extra-thin, expensive wine glasses when I'm in a restaurant, but knowing how frequently I break my cheap wine glasses I don't think I'll ever be able to invest in expensive ones to use at home. I'd feel too awful when I broke one (and then the second one, and then the third one...)

I'm interested in your upcoming post about stemless glasses.

I've had a set for years, and initially friends always think its merely a stylistic choice. They're always converted when they realize that they bobble their stemmed glasses when pouring refills, passing food, and just generally navigating a crowded table.

I have never understood stemless. As you state the stem is to keep your hands from altering the temp of the wine. So I'm interested in your next post that will explain the need for a stemless set.

I break mine too often... the style of the wine glass is something I get really worked up about though, I recently broke the last of my wine glasses (seriously) and the reason I hadn't already bought new ones is that all wine glasses in my price range were wrong for me in some way-for a start I HATE large wine glasses, no offence to anyone, it's not a style thing but tactile thing-I hate holding them, I've only got small hands! Plus I've accidentally drunk too much at parties with them (that's surely just because I'm not used to them though).

The FEW around that weren't huge either were too thick or had ridiculously tall stems... I eventually got the ones I wanted in a charity shop.

I don't use different glasses for red and white, I always find my nose gets in the way of those narrow glasses!

I love using small, squat glass tumblers for red wine. Do like the Italians do, I say. When hosting a party, it's so much easier to have a stack of glasses and they break so rarely.

http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/55454_PE160566_S4.jpg

These ones from Ikea are cheap enough to have dozens around for even the largest open-house party. They are also super easy to wash and store.

Trust me! Get some. You'll love.

I have a set of stemless Riedel, [which I love!] and I use them for all wines. I stick to <$20 wines anyway, so I figure a nice Riedel glass is good universal glass for someone like me. :)

@alexis,

I think it's a difference of the event: whether you're standing around and your wine spends all its time in your hand, or sitting at a table eating and your wine spends most of its time on the table.

Much like tall floral arrangements make conversation a little harder, tall wineglasses are just an added obstacle on a full table.

Have you ever drank wine from a coffee mug or a plastic cup? It's just not the same. I'm sure the wine glass does things that help bring out the natural flavours of the wine, but flavour enhancement aside, sipping wine from a thin crystal glass just feels "right".

I use these - a set of 4 lead-free crystal glasses for $30. I have a set of 20 oz. ones that I use for red wines and a set of 13 oz. ones that I use for white wines (plus a decanter and a martini set). I think they are great, especially for the price. I have broken several cheap glass wine glasses, but I haven't broken one of these yet.

I have a nice set of four glasses from Reidel, and a decanter too. I got them at Target for like $20-30 or so, each. I like wine, but I haven't tried enough different kinds to justify getting one set of glasses for white, one for red, etc. The stems are short, thin, and yet still strong (haven't broken any yet!); I recommend them for fellow wine novices as a good all-purpose wineglass.

I agree that the shape/style of the glass can at times enhance the experience. One glass that I loved, but didn't buy, are the Pinot Noir glasses I saw sold in Oregon. They hold a whole bottle of wine! They were something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Riedel-Vinum-Pinot-Noir-Glass/dp/B00125NSR4

@akay - then I really don't get it if the footprint of my stemmed glass is too much for a table then the stemless is really going to get in the way.

If one makes the point that the stemware makes a difference (which has scientifically been debunked) then holding a stemless in your hand changes the wine and further negates the wine experience. I'm just saying.

Alexis:
It's not a matter of the glass's footprint, but its obtrusiveness: the height and distribution of weight.

As arms and hands move across the table -- to touch someone, to pass food and wine, or simply through avid gesturing -- brushing up against a heavy glass of water is no problem, but grazing a top-heavy stemmed glass -- ruh roh.

I've seen many arms (usually in slo-mo while someone yells "nnnnoo") just barely bump a tall, top-weighted wine glass with rather sad results: sopping wet food, stained linens, and broken glass.

Mary, thank you for the information on wine glasses. Normally I don't think how the shape and texture of the glass may affect the wine and from now on I'll be more careful in my choice of wine glass. Thank you again.

Ad Hoc served wine to my friend in mugs.

I compared an inexpensive Riedel magnum glass with a cheap glass. I tasted a bottle of shiraz from Aldi's, cheap.

The Riedel glass made a huge difference in the taste of the wine. I'm not a wine enthusiast, but I promise you the wine was delicious in the Riedel, undrinkable in the cheap glass.

I think it has a lot to do with the Riedel having a cut rim.

My thinking is when I can afford to regularly serve expensive wine, then I'll buy the expensive wine glasses.

gourmet had an article that basically disproves this (idea of different wineglasses for different wines) ...however my thinking is that food and drink is more than just the taste/smell sensory but all the senses and mentality. so if you think something is better in a supposed wineglass, you will really feel that way in a tasting.

I think that wine glasses designed for one type of wine are only worth it when you have beautiful expensive wines to put in it AND you actually experience/know the worth of the wine you are drinking. i'll be honest, i can tell when one wine tastes better than another but i really can't appreciate the finer notes or tastes. hence i just have entry level riedel glasses (for white and red but only cuz they both look nice) and decanter

The shape makes a difference, but I don't think the composition of the glass does. But it certainly feels nicer to have a well made glass in the hand.

But I'm like a lot of posters above; I break glasses far too easily to invest any real money in them. I inherited some old fashioned crystal Champagne saucers that were my mother's (not the now fashionable flutes), and I love them for their sentimental and curiosity value, but I rarely use them because I don't want to break them in washing (that's when it always happens--I drop them in the sink).

I tested this by tasting the same wine in two different Riedel glasses. And it tasted different.

So I vote an emphatic YES, it's worth it, unless you really don't care that much what your wine tastes like.

I never hold a wine glass by the stem; it just seems too wobbly to me, so I love stemless. I've never noticed a temperature change from holding the glass.

Riedel vinum Bordeaux is the way to go