Perfect timing. I was just trying to figure this out at the store today.

I'm not too fancy. If you were going to get one type of wine glass for all options ( champagne excluded), which would be best?

Dollar stores have some decent wine glasses, if you're not the wine snob type.

We don't have the space for different glasses for every wine, so we just ended up going for what we though looked nicest!

the bordeaux, full whites, and crisp whites wine glass look very much the same to me. We went with a riedel glass that was suggested as good for most red, rose, and white wines for people who were only very occasional drinkers. I can't remember what it was called. but the salesperson at the store helped us by checking the suggestions/instructions for the various glasses we told them we liked the look of. maybe people should just ask a salesperson for help? I know you might get someone who just tries to push you to spend more money, but you might get a nice person too.

Ok, this post COMPLETEY misses any detail about what makes for a good wine glass, whatever the price point.

The glass should be clear. Part of the "wine experience" is its color. Color suggests the grape varietal and the wine's age.

It should be large enough for a good pour and allow you to swirl the wine without spilling. Swirling releases the fragrance, another key part of the "wine experience."

Shape is important too. A slightly tapered bowl directs the aroma toward your nose.

Stemmed glasses prevent the wine temperature being affected by body temperature. Some people like stemless glasses, but I think that finger prints and warm white wine are, well, icky.

Most important to me is a thin lip. A thick lipped glass of any kind forces the mouth into sucking at the glass as well as the wine. Try it yourself -- you might be very surprised at how much more pleasureable a thin lip is.

I also choose thinner lipped mugs and regulara drinking glasses for the same reason.

No love for stemless? I use Reidel stemless for Shiraz and other reds. Stemless cuts down on tipovers, thought the Reidels are fragile. Libbey Vina is less expensive, but thicker and not as fine.

Glasses always get broken in our house, so I buy cheap ones now (not Ikea, though - they are extremely fragile). I prefer vintage 'coupes' for champagne.

I love my stemless crackle wine glasses from Pier 1: http://www.pier1.com/Catalog/Dining/tabid/977/CategoryId/113/ProductId/5875/ProductName/Crackled-Wine-Glasses/Default.aspx
They're great for reds but not so much whites as the whites get warm from holding the glass rather than the stem.
Pier 1 also makes champagne flutes and martini glasses in this style. Just be sure to get the flat rim rather than the angled rim. It's hard to not spill when drinking from the angled rim...especially once you get past the third glass or so.

@urbancricket: The glasses I mentioned are EXCELLENT for swirling!

We use stemless as well, to cut down on spills. With four cats wandering around, it is just safer.

I have some of the Reidel Vivant glasses from Target, and they're nice crystal glasses for a good price - they feel more expensive than they are!

http://www.target.com/p/Riedel-Vivant-Collection/-/A-10103801

Tiffany & Co. also has a selection of Riedel crystal. Plus you get the blue box!

I know there are a lot of people out there who are really picky with their wine and wine glasses and matching them up and such, but we just get our wine glasses at the Dollar Tree. They always have plain glasses, and sometimes you can find the different shapes and sizes, depending on the stock.

I was looking in a catalog the other day and saw wine glasses for $15.00 each and I just thought...what's the point? Spend less, nobody will ever know the difference, and use the rest of the money you saved to buy WINE! :)

@hamhocks For something fancy that doesn't break the bank, you can find Riedel (I think the Ouverture line) for about $10 a glass.

Um, I just get mine at Goodwill and Salvation Army, because everything breaks very easily in porcelain sinks. No one ever complains about the wine glass or the wine. Life is short and there lots of charities who could really use that $125 (a glass!)

I've found the best selection of flutes at http://www.crystalclassics.com/dept/toastflutes.htm

The right glass for the wine. A never ending discussion.
A glassmaker in Austria came recently with the idea to make a glass that fits all.
http://www.zaltoglas.at/en_sort_univ.php

And when i go to the winemakers in the village, they use the same glass type for every wine. So why not go with an universal one?

A good secret is the Riedel "Overture" as noted by previously. This is a "restaurant" quality version of Riedel's well-designed stemware. I bought a set of 12 white (they fit in the dishwasher since they're shorter). And, I have a set of 8 bordeaux for red wine--They are almost the same shape as their higher end glasses but heavier and they don't break easily. Most importantly--no bulbous lip/edge and you must have a stem if drinking white as otherwise the wine will warm too much by the heat of your hand on the glass.

oops! Please delete the word "white" from previous post.