Wine Glasses |Choosing the Right Wine Glass | Buying Wine Glasses

Quality Wine Glasses

A quality wine glass is a must in order to get the full enjoyment from a bottle of good wine. Whether it is an expensive Riedel wine glass or Walmart special, the proper wine glass makes a difference. Here are some general rules about choosing, buying, selecting, and using wine glasses.

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Wine Glasses on a Budget

If you are on a budget, purchase multi-purpose wine glasses. Choose ones that are 8 to 10 inches in height. Choose a wine glass that has bowl that is deep but moderate in diameter.
Choose wine glasses that are made of good thin clear glass, not decorative or colored. Anything but a clear glass takes away from appreciating the wine in the glass.
We have seen moderately priced glasses like these at Crate & Barrel, Costco, Cost Plus, and Ikea stores.

Buy Wine Glasses at the Amazon Store

Wine Glasses for Specific Wines

The Riedel wine glass company started this trend. Riedel designed wine glasses that are shaped to bring out the characteristics of specific types of wines. One can have a set of Chardonnay wine glasses or Bordeaux wine glasses as well as other varietals. Now many other wine glass manufacturers are doing the same. Crate & Barrel has a good selection of varietal wine glasses.

Champagne Wine Glasses

These glasses have a very narrow opening. The narrow glass offers less surface space for the bubbles (carbon dioxide) to escape. This type of glass is called a flute.

Wine Glass Tips

Hand wash your glasses with warm water. Use a mild detergent. Hand dry with a soft cloth.

Pour wine to about the lower one-third of the glass. This level is desirable for two reasons: It leaves room in the glass for the aroma to work its way up the sides of the glass. Secondly, you won’t spill the wine over the top edge when swirling the wine in the glass. For the swirling technique, see “How to Taste Wine”

Keep a good supply of wine glasses on hand. Wine lover guests will appreciate having wine in good wine glasses. It shows you care and love wine.