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If you have taken the time to carefully select the right wines, store them properly, and pair them with your favorite foods, all that remains is to find the best wine glasses to pour them into. Not only do glasses differ in appearance (some are more minimalist, while others are unmistakably statement pieces), they also contribute to the overall wine-drinking experience.
Given the variety of wine glasses available, we spoke with experts to determine which features to look for—and whether separate glasses for reds and whites are essential.
However, it can be difficult to tell the difference between all those different types of glasses while browsing Amazon, especially if you are not sure exactly what you are looking for.
We combed through thousands of customer reviews (while keeping those expert tips in mind) to assist you in identifying the best wine glasses available for purchase online.
Our Top Picks
The 10 Best Wine Glasses You Can Get Right Now
Since there are so many wine glasses on the market, we consulted with experts to determine which characteristics to look for and whether separate glasses for reds and whites are necessary. The Schott Zwiesel All-Purpose wine glass is the best overall wine glass. It is a versatile glass made from Tritan crystal that is suitable for both formal and informal settings. Following is a list of the best wine glasses, from stemless to Champagne styles, as recommended by experts.
1. Best Rated: Schott Zwiesel Pure Collection All-Purpose Wine Glasses
Ask any frequent wine drinker about wine glasses, and they will mention Schott Zwiesel as the most dependable and consistent brand. Since 1872, the German brand has produced quality glassware. These versatile wine glasses are famous for both red and white wines. They are made from lead-free Tritan crystal glass and are dishwasher-safe, making them ideal for daily use. The brand’s wine glasses strike the perfect balance between elegance and approachability and are reasonably priced for their quality.
Key Features
- 6 each Pure collection stemware; for use with full bodied white and young full red wines; 18.2-ounce capacity; 9.6-inch tall, 3.6-inch wide
- Made of Tritan crystal glass; composed of titanium oxide and zirconium oxide; Tritan is a worldwide patented crystal glass material
- Pure collection: high fashion and designed with sharp, crisp lines for a geometric look; moderate stem height and excellent balance
- Completely dishwasher safe; do not force bowl tightly over dishwasher rack prongs; do not twist stem and bowl while holding one or the other tightly
- Made in Germany; suggested wine varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Boudreaux, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Malbec, Barolo, Chardonnay, Viognier
- A quality set for a good price with a sturdy construction
- Elegant appearance.
- Not as delicate as high-end glass styles
- Fewer varietal options.
2. Best Value: Libbey Vineyard Reserve 12-Piece Wine Glass Set
Libbey Vineyard Reserve 12-Piece Wine Glass Party Set for Chardonnay and Merlot/Bordeaux
Do you daydream of the Tuscan Riviera? Bring your dream to life with the Vineyard Reserve set for your front porch. The Chardonnay glasses will bring out the light, delicate flavors of your white wines, while the taller, wider Merlot Bordeaux glasses will highlight your red wines’ bold, spicy flavors. Your party guests will also boast, praising your entire set’s sleek, contemporary design and comfortable grip while you modestly sip from your glass. Having your vineyard is merely a daydream away.
Order this set of 12 wine glasses from Libbey, a significant manufacturer of restaurant glassware, if you’re looking for the most affordable option (hotel owners even swear by it). The set includes six white wine glasses and six red wine glasses. This inexpensive wine glass set is an incredible value, whether you’re furnishing your first apartment or hosting a wine-tasting party.
Key Features
- Perfect pack for holiday party hosting – from Thanksgiving to birthdays to showers
- Two distinct glass shapes designed to emphasize flavors of both red and white wines
- Includes 6, 19.7-ounce Merlot Bordeaux wine glasses and 6, 18-ounce Chardonnay Chablis wine glasses
- Made lead-free
- Durable and dishwasher safe for quick, easy cleanup; to help preserve your products, please refer to the Libbey website for care and handling instructions
- For a starter bar, a set of six in each style is a great value
- It fits in most kitchen styles.
- The glass isn't as durable as some higher-end styles
- The set is difficult to add to without buying a second full set.
3. Best for Reds: Spiegelau Style Red Wine Glasses
Spiegelau Style Red Wine Glasses, Set of 4, European-Made Lead-Free Crystal, Classic Stemmed, Dishwasher Safe, Professional Quality Red Wine Glass Gift Set, 22.2 oz
The quality of the glassware is highly dependent on the type of glass used and the composition of its components. Every Spiegelau glass is made from lead-free crystal glass. Spiegelau products are more durable, dishwasher-safe, break-resistant, and brilliant due to the use of crystals of the highest quality than those made with less expensive materials.
Glass is an intriguing substance. Glass not only serves a practical purpose but also enriches our lives in numerous other ways. It is brilliant, reflects and refracts light, and produces a pleasing clink when clinking glasses. In addition, using pure raw materials to create specific glass shapes and a high-quality glass surface enhances the aromas and flavors of beverages. With its sophisticated and elegant glasses, the style series is the ideal choice for any occasion. Their contemporary form exudes elegance and self-assurance. They possess elegance.
Key Features
- Exquisite Red Wine Glass Set
- High-end Stemware With Timeless Elegance
- Flawless Lead-free Crystal
- Dishwasher Safe
- Fine & Laser cut Rim
- Bowl is colorless and transparent
- Perfect Connection between the bowl and stem
- Seamless Stems (or nearly seamless)
- 22 fluid oz. capacity
- Made of non-leaded crystal
- Dishwasher-safe
- Easy to hold
- Good for regular use
- Small room for swirling the wine
4. Best for Whites: Riedel Veritas Collection Wine Glasses
If you prefer a specific type of white wine, choose one of Riedel’s varietal-specific wine glasses. Universal wine glasses are perfectly adequate for most white wines. There are also options for Champagne, beer, and a variety of reds in the collection. Each glass is well-made, lightweight, and feels like it is made of feathers. Keep in mind, however, that the average person probably does not need to invest in many different types of wine glasses to enjoy wine. According to F&W Executive Wine Editor Ray Isle, there is no pressing need to have an extra wine glass for each type of grape.
Key Features
- The unadorned machine-made oaked chardonnay glass of the light-weight glass collection Riedel Veritas distinguishes lighter, finer and being suitable for long term daily use at home.
- The size of the bowl allows space for the rich bouquet to develop its superbly diverse range of aromas, while minimizing the risk of becoming over concentrated.
- Riedel Veritas combines the charm of a handmade glass with the consistent accuracy only A machine made glass can achieve.
- All Riedel glasses are dishwasher safe.
- Capacity: 21 7/8 ounce
- Glass size: 4.25Lx4.25Wx8.54H (Inches)
- Lightweight
- Type-specific to enhance your favorite wines.
- Not universal so best for homes with plenty of space
- Limited grape interests.
5. Best Stemless: Riedel O Wine Tumbler Cabernet
These stemless wine glasses by Riedel are an excellent alternative to traditional glasses and one of Isle’s top recommendations. The glass is sturdy, and the stemless glasses still look elegant as a set (even if they have soda or water). These glasses are ideal for red wines with complex aromas and are easy to clean in the dishwasher.
Key Features
- Pay for 3 get 4
- Capacity: 21-1/8 oz
- Height: 4-7/8 in
- Fine Crystal
- Dishwasher-safe
- No stem to worry about while washing
- The thin glass has a high-end feel while drinking.
- Thin glass means a drop could spell disaster
- Some wine drinkers might not love a stemless glass.
6. Most Versatile: The One Wine Glass by Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson
The One Wine Glass – Perfectly Designed Shaped Wine Glasses For All White Wines By Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, Premium Set Of 2 Crystal (without lead) Glasses, Break Resistant White Wine Glasses
Master Sommelier, wine educator, and television host Andrea Robinson designed this beautiful set of two white wine glasses. THE ONE, designed to optimize all white wine varieties and grapes, outperforms grape-specific drinks in blind, professional taste tests.
THE ONE white wine-specific bowl is more minor than THE ONE red wine-specific bowl to preserve the delicacy and chill of white wines, holding a perfect 6 oz at its widest point.
Each white wine glass is 8.5 inches tall and 3.78 inches wide, with a total capacity of 15.5 ounces. The thin rim is intended to improve the wine tasting experience. Our exclusive stem-pulling technology produces a single-piece design that is both elegant and durable.
Comparable in quality to the most widely advertised wine-specific crystal glasses, but with superior durability and value. A cabinet full of grape-specific shapes cannot compete with THE ONE shape for wine enhancement.
With THE ONE, save your money and storage space for wine! Elegant 2-pack box with a handle, ideal for personal and corporate gifting. Together, the two sizes create an exquisite table for wine tasting or dining.
Key Features
- The One Perfect Shape And Size That Optimizes All White Wines
- Lead Free And Crystal Clear
- Break Resistant
- Dishwasher Safe And Designed To Fit The Dishwasher
- Quality For The Price. The One Beautiful Crystal
- Designed to work with every white wine variety
- The one-piece construction makes it one of the most durable glasses on the market.
- Has smaller capacity that won't be ideal for heavy pours
- It isn't great for full-bodied red styles.
7. Best Crystal: Waterford Lismore Essence Goblet
Choose Waterford’s beautiful wine glasses if you desire the highest-quality crystal. Isle states, “Waterford makes beautiful crystal glasses, but they are costly.” Each glass features the brand’s popular Lismore pattern, which has been in production since 1952. The bowl is rounder, and the stem is thinner than the typical Waterford design. The intricate design of the hand-crafted and hand-cut leaded glass adds a special touch to any table setting.
Key Features
- Crafted from the finest crystal
- Lismore Essence is the next generation of the classic Lismore pattern, retaining the brilliance and clarity of Lismore, while incorporating a more slender, modern profile, designed with the intricate detailing of Lismore’s signature diamond and wedge cuts
- Elegant and versatile, the Lismore Essence Goblet is perfect for serving wine, water, juice or your favorite cold beverage
- Beautifully presented in classic Waterford packaging
- Hand wash with soft cloth
- Historic style
- Beautiful appearance
- Quality construction from a renowned brand.
- Must be hand-washed
- It is heavier than other wine glasses.
8. Best for Champagne: Riedel Performance Champagne Glass
The champagne wine glass is ideal for enhancing and displaying champagne’s complex qualities. This glass permits the broad spectrum of aromas to unfold. In contrast to a flute, the egg-shaped design allows the intricate layers to grow and intensify, and the wider rim diameter will enable them to be released in a manner that cannot be achieved with a narrow glass.
In addition, the glass features a “sparkling point” to facilitate the formation of Champagne bubbles. The visual impact of the Riedel Performance Series adds both a design element and a remarkable effect on the aromas of the wine. This set includes two glasses. Made by machine and dishwasher-safe
Key Features
- The champagne wine glass is perfect for developing and displaying champagne’s complex characteristics.
- This glass allows the wide range of aromatics to unfold.
- Unlike a flute, the egg-shaped design allows the complex layers to grow and intensify, and the larger rim diameter enables them to be released in a way which is not achieved with a narrow glass.
- The glass also includes a ‘sparkling point’ To aid the formation of the champagne bubbles.
- The optic impact in the Riedel performance Series adds both a design feature and an astounding effect on wine’s aromatics. This pack contains two glasses. Machine-made and dishwasher safe.
- Fine crystal will last longer than standard glass styles
- The shape is built to enhance the aromatics of sparkling wines.
- They're more expensive
- Less versatile than other styles.
9. Best Splurge: Zalto Denk'Art Burgundy Wine Glass
This is the most oversized glass in the Zalto collection, and it can hold an entire bottle of wine, though you would never guess it because, despite its size, the glass feels light and nimble in your hand. The design was not based on being the largest for the sake of being the largest; the angles of the entire line correspond to the Earth’s tilt angles of 24, 48, and 72 degrees.
This site allows your most significant, most powerful, and expressive wines to fully develop and breathe. For the alcohol to meld with the fruit flavors, for the acid to balance the tannins, and, if necessary, for the oak. Use this glass with powerful Cabernets and Chardonnays, the most potent Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Barolo, Barberas, and Pinots that tend toward the fruit-bomb style.
It is also intriguing to observe how an older, more complex white wine, such as a Gruner Veltliner Smaragd or Reserve, will perform in this setting. The glass is 9.1 inches tall and has a maximum width of 4.91 inches. 960 ml is the volume capacity.
Key Features
- Hand-blown from the finest European crystal. Offered here are six glasses.
- The height of the glass is 9.1 inches and it is 4.9 inches at its widest part. The volume capacity is 960 ml.
- The shape of the bowl was meticulously designed to bring out the best expressions of every type of grape. The lip is so thin it is as if nothing has come between you and your wine.
- The Burgundy glass is ideal for bold red wines as the size of the bowl lets the wine fully breathe and develop.
- Feather-light yet dishwasher safe. 100% lead-free.
- Super lightweight
- Lead-free crystal with enough capacity to handle the darkest reds.
- Not ideal for white wines or sparkling wines
- Expensive single glass on our list.
10. Best Insulated: Host Wine Freeze Cup Set of 2
This set of stemless wine glasses can achieve the ideal serving temperature for every wine. Each wine tumbler maintains the temperature of wine more effectively than a standard wine glass. When rigid, insulated walls filled with a proprietary cooling gel function as a wine chiller. Place a tumbler in the freezer for white wines or the refrigerator for red wines to maintain cellar temperature. The BPA-free plastic construction is durable and ideal for outdoor use. This stemless wine glass set will become your favorite new wine accessory due to the insulated silicone band that makes them easy to handle.
Key Features
- Perfect For All Wines
- Insulated Walls
- BPA-FREE plastic
- Serve Your Wine At The Right Temperature
- Comfortable Grip
- No More Warm Drinks
- Stylish glass
- Keep drinks nice and cold
- Especially good if you don’t like to dilute your drinks with ice
- Expensive
- Not dishwasher safe
Buying Guide
With all of these options, choosing the right wine glass can be a little overwhelming. That is why it’s important to consider your needs and lifestyle before making a decision.
If you are just starting out collecting wine glasses, we recommend that you first begin with something simple. This will allow you to get comfortable with your new hobby without investing in anything too expensive or fancy. Once you have mastered using basic wine glasses, then you can move on to more advanced styles if desired!
Type of wine
- If you drink both red and white wines and have limited storage space or a limited budget, consider investing in multipurpose wine glasses.
- Consider glasses with long stems and narrow bowls for white wine.
- If you are a fan of red wine, seek out glasses with deep bowls. Stemless glasses are not recommended for white wine because you will overheat it with your hands.
Size
Traditionally, large, rounded bowls were used to highlight the more nuanced flavors of red wine, while smaller, narrower bowls were used for white varietals. The more compact the bowl, the more difficult it is for those aromas to escape. Larger bowls allow for a greater amount of oxygen to contact the wine.
Which glass size is optimal for you? It depends on what you are drinking. It can be overwhelming with so many options available; I would recommend starting with a few all-purpose glasses that work for both reds and whites. Then you can begin expanding your collection by purchasing additional grape variety-specific glasses.
Durability
Choose a more durable material if you are prone to breakage or intend to use these glasses daily. While glass is less expensive, crystal is a more durable material. Crystal glasses are more costly and difficult to replace.
Tritan has grown in popularity as a high-end glassware material if you are looking for genuinely durable glass. Due to the material’s superior strength to crystal or glass, these wine glasses are resistant to bumps and drops.
Design
When there is little to distinguish wine glasses from the glass’s quality, choosing the ones that appeal to you on a design level makes sense.
Ease of cleaning
For your convenience, most of the best wine glasses are dishwasher safe. Ascertain that no user reviews raise cleaning concerns.
With that foundation established, you are ready to peruse our curated list of the best wine glasses available.
Best Wine Glasses - FAQs
The number of wine glasses you should purchase and the amount you should spend depends entirely on your level of wine appreciation and how frequently you entertain. It is entirely dependent on the application and circumstance. If you are throwing a large party and anticipate that breakage will be an issue, consider purchasing something less sentimental.
If you are looking to invest, the average price per stem is between $15 and $30.
You do not need to buy a whole new set of glasses to enjoy this summertime favorite. You can use the glasses you already own. Even though rosé glasses are on the market, our experts say that a standard white or universal wine glass will work just as well. You could even use a red wine glass for a very dark wine.
You might want to go with a universal wine glass to drink your rosé in. This is because it is a type of wine that can be a bit of an actor. People who drink rosé from Tavel would be better off with a glass that looks like a red wine glass. People who drink rosé from Provence, on the other hand, would be better off with a glass that looks like a white wine glass.
It varies according to the wine. Decanting older red wines is recommended because they produce sediment over time. This gritty, bitter substance is separated during the decanting process. Decanting (both red and white wine) exposes the wine to air and aids in developing its flavors.
For 30-60 minutes, we recommend decanting red library wines aged eight or more years in bottle. Expressing older vintages to a higher oxygen plane accelerates the breathing process, enhancing fruit and oak aromas.
Handwash them with warm water and a small amount of mild, unscented soap, concentrating on the rim and exterior of the bowl. Riedel recommends “never holding the bowl and base simultaneously, as any twisting or pressure on the stem may cause it to snap.” Then, dry the glass with a lint-free cloth, such as a microfiber towel. Allowing the glass to dry naturally may result in streaking or water spots.
Because the glass’s rim is delicate, it is best to store them upright in a stable and secure location, such as a cabinet. Maintain your glasses free of dust, grease, and odor. Hanging racks, which store glasses bowl side down, work as well, but there is a greater risk of breakage if the glass falls or is disturbed in any way.
Conclusion
Choosing the right wine glass for your drinking experience may seem like an easy task, but there are a lot of things to consider. If you’ve ever wondered what makes one glass better than another, we’re here to help!
In this article you learned about the different types of glasses and how they can impact your drinking experience. We hope you found this helpful! If you want more information on barware or anything else related to wine, please visit our website today.
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