Wine glasses? Which ones?

[Rico in Flag]

I know some of you are snooty enough to know about wine. My wife and I are not huge wine drinkers, just occaisonally. And we definitely don't have the cabinet space to have glasses for every type of wine.

So what's the quiver killer of wine glasses? Which glass shape works well for most reds and whites?

[huckbucket]

Red wine glass. Wider mouth delivers the wine to the front of the tongue which is said to be ideal for reds.



White wine glass. Delivers wine to the back of the tongue.

[tex1230]

Reidel "O" for all around drinking - really a red shape but if you're not motivated to buy two or three sets of glasses, I'm going to venture a guess that you're not buying whites of a high enough quality to be effected by glass shape.

[hutash]

I would get a set of inexpensive glass in two or three shapes, rather then one set of expensive Reidels. Shape makes more of a difference on presentation, and to a lesser degree taste then does the glass. Plus it just looks better to guests, who wouldn't know they were Reidel unless you left the label on.

[4matic]

Go to Marshalls or Ross. Good value on decent quality wine glasses.

[54-46]

Schott Zweisel makes nice glasses without lead. Larger, more upright shape for cab/merlot; bigger bowl for pinot noir; smaller tulip shaped for white.

Or, just get the reidel O and go from there.

[wicked_sick]

[hutash]

Nothing wrong with lead in wine glasses, just don't store wine in leaded decanters. Lead improves the clarity of the glass, and also how the wine slides off the glass and shows it's legs. It is certainly not necessary, but if you are going to spend big bucks on glass wear get it with a lot of lead and enjoy what it does.

As an aside when my wife and I were in Ireland we bought Waterford crystal pieces (which have high lead content), and they nearly completely block the x-ray scanners at the Dublin airport. The TSA types there weren't phased by it, as I assume they see it all day long, but I would shudder at trying to get that throw TSA in the states.

[hutash]

At that point I just unscrew the cap and drink my Ripple right from the bottle (covered in a brown paper bag of course.)

[timeo]

I would recommend Spiegelau over Riedel as they are much more durable. I have gone thru a ton of Riedels as they always break when you are taking them in/out of the dishwasher since they are so thin, any stress at a bad angle and they break, this is more of a problem w/ the reds than whites. The Spiegelau are just thicker and I have never broken one yet in many years.

If you must have the Riedel's get the O.

[hutash]

...and don't put them in the dishwasher.

Good glass should never go in a dishwasher, the heat and chemicals can microetch glass. For cheap glassware that's no big deal, but if you are spending big dollars on fine wine glasses, you are negating a lot of the benefits if you are not hand washing.

[timeo]

^^

I knew this was coming, lol. My dishwasher has a special low heat setting for crystal and I have used it for several years even on Waterford w/ no problem. I have enough glasses that only some get used very often while others are used maybe once a year and when you compare them they all look the same, no etching, no clouding, etc. I just use very little detergent when washing glasses.

[hutash]

At $75 a glass, I'll wash my Waterford by hand.

[Bosco]

I'm a big fan of stemless wine glasses. Same function and you're less likely to break them. I have them in styles for reds and whites.

[plugboots]

http://guides.wsj.com/wine/wine-tips...od-wine-glass/

[CMSIV]

Gettin' shitty with class, "I'm not an alcholic, I only drink wine"

oh.. And, 2nd the stemless wine glasses.

[irul&ublo]

At $75 a glass, I'll wash my Waterford by hand.

While wearing his $600 loafers

[DeepHelmet]

We've been really happy with the Riedels. My wife got an 8 pack for Christmas that cost about $100. Can't beat em for the price. I would prefer to have one set of really nice quality glasses than several types of mediocre glass. I like the lipless rim of the Riedels. In our house, if it's expensive, it's red, so we went with red wine type glasses and somehow suffer through it when we drink white. FWIW, I think Target carries some of Riedels glasses now.

There is a flyer that comes with the glasses stating all Riedel glassware is dishwasher safe. I've been washing them in the dishwasher for years, and the new ones we just got look just like the old ones. Besides, if a glass gets broken in our house, it's either because my brother broke it, or the dog knocked it off the rack with his tail.

[Tippster]

I'm a big fan of stemless wine glasses. Same function and you're less likely to break them. I have them in styles for reds and whites.

Only gapers hold their wine glass by the bowl. Stemless wineglasses are for newbs.

OP - get these: They're cheap, durable as hell, and work for every kind of red wine: http://www.amazon.com/Schott-Zwiesel...5987620&sr=1-9

[L7]

I assume you are looking for cheapish glassware and throwing in the dishwasher is the program. Make sure they fit in your dishwasher. White wine glasses are usually a little more functional that way and for storage. In the end it's about what is functional for you.

[Grange]

Find a glass with a cut edge rather than a rolled edge as the edge affects the taste. I didn't believe it until I compared the two.

[jfost]

you guys know this isn't the first world problems thread right?

[Boomer28]

I'm a big fan of stemless wine glasses. Same function and you're less likely to break them. I have them in styles for reds and whites.

Stemless FTW. I break normal wine glasses like it is a paid profession.

These still look better than a water glass but are much less likely to get tipped over and broken

[Phill]

Reidels from costco. Decent price. Get the "bordeuax" shape. Shape honestly doesn't make all that much of a difference and the bordeaux shape will work pretty well for most reds, you'll probably only notice a significant difference with finer pinots.

Like others have said, a fine cut edge is a must. Stemless glasses are fine, I actually prefer them since it allows me to get them up from cellar to drinking temperature faster. Dishwashers will micro etch the glasses but this doesn't affect functionality only aesthetics.

[DasBlunt]

I like Ikea's cheap shit. Big (for reds), light, cheap.