Need good wine glasses? Here are my recommendations, updated for 2009. I can't drink wine out of a jelly jar anymore and enjoy it (unless I'm at a picnic or camping!). I've come to prefer the thin glass lip of real wine glass, along with the rounded bowl that allows you to smell the wine before you drink it (which is ½ the experience).
I am not (yet) the type of snob that requires a certain type of wine glass with my Pinot Noir and another glass for my Cabernet. I have only two kinds of glasses in our our house: one for white and one for reds, and when space doesn't allow for this, I recommend a well shaped white wine glass for everything.
Rule #1: Buy crystal glasses. Don't mess with pure glass.
Rule #2: IKEA glasses are lovely and cheap but they always break.
Rule #3: Don't buy decorative glasses or crazy shapes. Don't distract from the wine.
Top Picks:
>> Spiegelau Authentis Wine Glasses - These guys are just as good as the market leader - Riedel - but they are cheaper.
>> Reidel Vinum Wine Glasses - These are great, but get pricey.
>> Riedel "O" Series Wine Glasses - I love these and now use them at home for everything. Small, because they have no stem, and lovely to drink out of, if you only have room for one wine glass, just get a white wine version of these. They're cheaper too.
Top Picks from Readers:
Klybos recommends Holmegaard and iittala:
"I agree that Riedel&Spiegelau (two brands owned by the same company) certainly are great and worth the money. They are real classics and always look good.If you want to go for a slightly more modern look, I recommend the "Perfection" series by danish company HOLMEGAARD. Also the "Essence" line by Iittala , desgned by the great Alfredo Häberli. Both have a really great design and quality."
Joolzie recommends Riedel Vinum:
"Riedel Vinum all the way for me, even though my butterfingered husband broke a few before i laid down the law and said i was going to wash them henceforth."
Amy 60622 recommends Spiegelau:
"I've been the manager of Porte Rouge table & home on Division Street in Chicago for five years and I love Spiegelau personally and professionally. The glasses are sturdy, wine correct form, affordable, dishwasher safe and the company has been in business since 1521 or so. Not bad!"
Maria M. recommends Riedel O Series Glasses:
"Riedel "O" Series Wine Glasses are the best. We have both the very expensive ones offered by William Sonoma and the ones available at Target. We drink our wine (and our Chimay) from these glasses exclusively. A note about the wine glasses from Target, we own three sets of them, and they do the job for parties"
Karen recommends Opera glasses by Eric Bagger:
"They are comfortable to hold and break less easily than Speigelau. I love the rounded and curved stem. Besides they are the wine glasses at MoMA in New York..."
Kim Grant recommends Schott Zwiesel at Pottery Barn:
"You didn't include the reason why a thin lipped glass is preferable for wine (or any beverage for that matter). Thick rims encourage one to suck the beverage into the mouth instead of pouring. Try it out and you'll see that this affects the way the flavor hits your palette."
Nicole recommends Riedel for Target Red Wine Glasses
"I recently bought the Riedel for Target Red Wine Glasses and I have found them beautiful, sturdy, and delightfully thin-lipped. Plus they're made of crystal! I'll never drink wine from a tumbler again."
Heather recommends Villeroy & Boch's 'Torino' crystal wine glasses
"We use Villeroy & Boch's 'Torino' crystal wine glasses. They're super basic, yet elegant. And strong. Looks like the Macy's users agree!"
Ivan recommends Bed Bath & Beyond wine glasses
Bed Bath & Beyond has a cheap set of four well-shaped wine glasses that work decently for both reds and whites. I've had them for almost 8 years and they've not broken (they also survived two moves). I only wish my more expensive and larger red wine glasses fared as well...
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nice review, thanks. i can't seem to find the spiegelau glasses on amazon, though. any suggestions on where to buy?
Are you sure you searched correctly?
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=spiegelau&x=0&y=0
I first bought Spiegelau glasses from Amazon about 12 years ago. They are great glasses at very reasonable prices. What's nice, given the price, is that if you break one, you can always find the same models still being produced and re-complete your set.
I'm Baccarat all the way. Most beautiful glasses ever, plus you get to really get the weight of cristal. I have three generations of Baccaract glasses in my family, and we may have broken one once. The cristal is really very heavy, giving you the impression that it is much more sturdy than other cristal. Yet, the design is pure, and for me, perfect.
Being French, I do not know if Baccarat sells in the US though.
Love the Waterford Marquis Vintage collection, which can be purchased through Macy's. The glasses for reds are well shaped and could serve a white just as easily. I prefer crystal, thin-lipped and large bowled glasses, and these are a perfect, classic shape. Very much like the Reidel Bordeaux glasses.
Excellent post! My husband and I will be investing in (better) wine glasses very soon and weren't sure what to look for.
I lovelovelove Reidel wineglasses, but they're way too pricy. I used to work in a china department at a department store and picked out my favourites everyday, haha. One of our house brands also created boxes of 12 wineglasses (and beer glasses) for $9.99 so I ended up going with those when I moved out on my own. Of course, I got a box that was on clearance for five dollars or thereabouts and then with my employee discount was even less!
They're a good size, clarity and I've only broken one in the almost three years I've had them.
Spiegelau is owned by Riedel.