Paul and I came late to alcohol, so we’re later than most people in acquiring wine glasses. Paul got a book about wine out of the library, and it suggests newbies look for two things in a starter wine glass (other than wine, ha ha more coffee QUICK):
1. a lip that curves in, as opposed to one that flares out, and
2. a stem, as opposed to stemless.
I love a quest.
It took about 5 minutes for me to realize that I dislike thin stems: they make me feel nervous, like the wine glass is fragile and unbalanced and will snap or tip in my hand. I like the kind of stem that flares out a little to support the liquid-holding part, like this:
Libbey Footed Goblet (photo from Amazon.com). In fact, after looking at page after page of plain wine glass possibilities, this is the set that’s my favorite. Happily for someone who doesn’t even know if she’ll end up liking wine enough to need wine glasses, it turns out I have cheap tastes: these are $13.99 for four.
Mikasa Tiara wine glass. When Paul and I were first married, we lived near a Mikasa outlet and I used to admire the beautiful heavy wine glasses they had there. I think of this cut/carved style as “crystal,” but I realize that’s not the word to describe it—that crystal can be smooth, and that the cut/faceted thing can be done with glass. I think of them as crystal anyway, and this one actually is. It’s also $20 for one single wine glass (or 4-for-3, so $15 each if I buy four), so we’ll wait a bit to see if we actually, you know, LIKE wine.
Star Trek wine glasses, by Impulsive Creativity on Etsy (photo from the shop). I thought I didn’t like painted wine glasses, but it turns out I just don’t like the “40 IS THE NEW 30!” or “SEXY AND SINGLE!” ones, or anything with bubble writing, or anything painted to look like a woman. Star Trek is another story.
Vintage green stemware from Bluebell on Etsy (photo from the shop). Oh, I should be looking at Goodwill-type shops for wine glasses!
Lenox “Tuscany Harvest” wine glasses (photo from Amazon.com). I think these are pretty even though I don’t like the skinny stems. And even though they’re $50. And really they’re not right for me at all. It would be fun to choose a color, though, each time.
Lyla recycled glass wine glass (photo from CrateAndBarrel.com). THESE are my style. $7.95 each. But they seem BIG: a lot of wine glasses I’ve been looking at are in the 4- to 8-ounce range, but these are 13 ounces. …Wait, why would I complain about that?
I like the first ones the best too. I have had the Lenox wine glasses for years. They are very pretty, but they are very delicate as well. You can find them on sale at Macy’s often. I’ve bought them for quite a few friends.
Tracy H. | September 29th, 2010 at 11:35 am
Love those Libbey wine glasses — I think I have the exact same ones and got them from Target! Approximately the same price as on Amazon, I think. They are still shiny and nice feeling, despite many trips through the dishwasher and many nights with little wine bits sitting in them for far longer than should be admitted.
Very good point about painted wine glasses.
marilyn | September 29th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Yes, definitely look at your local Goodwill or thrift shop. I always see a TON of wine glasses & you could buy a bunch for a buck or two each & experiment to find the kind you like best! I’ve gotten really nice glassware in the past. Almost all of our day-to-day glasses have come from Goodwill! Also, it’s soooo much less tragic when one (or more) inevitably gets broken. Plus, I have qualms about putting them in the dishwasher.
yasmara | September 29th, 2010 at 11:57 am
I’m already worrying about that yellow glass. It’s on its side! It’s going to shatter!
Superjules | September 29th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Yay! Wine! I hope you blog about your experiences - there are so many great (and inexpensive) wines out there, and it’s so fun to try them all!
I would suggest avoiding the Libbey Footed Goblet just because the opening seems waaaaaay too narrow at the top, and part of drinking wine is smelling the wine.
Also, if you just want plain glasses, Target is GREAT. They have a set of four Reidel glasses for $38.99 and Reidel is one of the top names in wine-glass making. Or you can get a set of 12 Charisma wineglasses (which look a little sturdier) for $30 - plus they are dishwasher safe, which I LOVE for wine glasses. (We sometimes come out of a weekend with a big stack of unwashed wine glasses sitting on the counter, just because we both hate hand washing them. I am always afraid I’ll snap off the stem.)
Life of a Doctor\\\\\\\'s Wife | September 29th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
we’re just getting back into wine, too. I bought the cobalt blue ones that were at Pier One years back (probably still are), and I’m SICK of them. I use them more than my Mikasa because they’re sturdier, but I hate the color now. Have been wanting stemless, actually. I’m sad your book says that’s a no-no, and I might buy them ANYWAY.
The Crate and Barrel ones above are gorgeous. ALSO WANT.
el-e-e | September 29th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
The best wine glasses I ever got were freebies from Harlequin Romance book club….hmmm, now you know some of my reading tastes too!
They were slightly heavier and had a pretty rose tint to them. Sadly they broke when the shelf above gave way and smashed them (and everything else on the shelf) to smithereens but they were lovely.
I wonder if Harlequin is still giving them away, I might renew that subscription
Mich | September 30th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
We had a local potter make us some wine goblets. I love them because they are truly “originals” as no two glasses are the same AND because they are pottery, they are heavy and feel substantial. It also feels good to support a local artisan and that’s kind of fun!
1hot&tiredmama | September 30th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
God, I miss wine. i almost cried while reading this post. Only 3 more months of pregnancy before I can enjoy it again! Which reminds me, I NEED to go order those Star Trek glasses. Right. This. Second.
Rachel Heath | October 1st, 2010 at 7:53 pm
I myself like my wine glasses to be SHORT, so they fit in the dishwasher. We got a bunch when we got married that had these long, thin, delicate stems and the combination of delicate + too tall for dishwasher meant we wended up drinking wine out of juice glasses most of the time. Which I like, too, actually.
My favorite wine glasses are a set we got that look kind of like these: http://www.surlatable.com/product/recycled+glassware+wine+glass%2C+8+oz..do?keyword=wine+glasses&sortby=ourPicks
pseudostoops | October 4th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Oh I LIKE glasses with skinny stems! They make me feel fancy.
Kate | October 20th, 2010 at 2:03 am