Wine glasses

You judge a wine glass by three things: the bowl, the rim and the stem. The bowl gathers the aroma and a thin rim lets the wine in gently. The stem lets you hold the glass without warming the wine. From one wine to the next, it is mainly the bowl that changes.

This overview brings together five shapes. Each shape has its own page with more explanation and only the glasses of that type.

• Bordeaux glass. Tall, with a large bowl and fairly straight sides, for full-bodied red wine such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The collections are compared side by side under Bordeaux glasses.
• Burgundy glass. Wide and round, the balloon glass, for aromatic red wine such as pinot noir and for rich chardonnay. More on that under Burgundy glasses.
• White wine glass. Smaller, so the wine stays cool between pours. You will find every model under white wine glasses.
• Universal glass. A middle size for red and white, such as Apero, Definition and Hi-Lite. Handy if you only want one wine glass in the cupboard.
• Glass for sparkling wine. Flute, tulip or coupe for champagne, cava and prosecco, together under champagne glasses.

Most of our wine glasses come from Spiegelau, German crystal glass that builds its collections around the wine. Within one collection you will often find a Bordeaux, a Burgundy and a white wine glass in the same style. That way you set the table with one line and can easily reorder later.

Festival and Winelovers are the most affordable per glass, each with a Bordeaux glass and a white wine glass. Lifestyle, Salute, Style, Soiree, Superiore and Vino Grande sit in the middle. Authentis and Hybrid have a glass for almost every wine: Bordeaux, Burgundy, white and sparkling.

Arabesque, Willsberger Anniversary, Definition and Hi-Lite are at the top of the price range. Definition and Hi-Lite come in boxes of 6, the other Spiegelau collections in boxes of 12.

From Nachtmann there are the red and white wine glasses from Palais and the cocktail and wine glass from Noblesse, each in boxes of 6. Palais also has a champagne glass, so with Nachtmann too you can put one line on the table.

At home three glasses are often enough: a universal glass for every day, a Burgundy glass for the better bottle and a glass for sparkling wine. If you mainly drink full-bodied reds, take a Bordeaux glass instead of the Burgundy glass. We explain that choice under red wine glasses.

A restaurant counts per cover. Count the glasses on the table at the same time, the glasses in the dishwasher during service and a reserve for breakage. Keep the number of models small: two wine glasses and a glass for sparkling wine from one collection are easier to reorder than five separate models.

The price in the webshop is per glass, including 21% VAT. You buy by the box, so the box price is the price per glass times the number of glasses in the box. If you often pour young red wine, keep a decanter ready too.

For hospitality businesses there is a separate professional webshop. You see your prices and terms after signing in.

All the wine glasses on this page are crystal glass. Crystal glass is clearer than ordinary glass and can be blown thinner, which you feel at the rim. Spiegelau makes its glasses from lead-free crystal glass that the brand describes as dishwasher safe.

A few habits keep glasses clear for longer. Place them apart in the top rack or in a glass rack, and choose a low-temperature programme. Use dishwasher salt and rinse aid against limescale marks. Take the glasses out as soon as the programme has finished and dry them with a lint-free cloth.

If you polish by hand, hold the glass by the bowl. Never twist the foot and the bowl in opposite directions: that is where a stem breaks most easily.