Wine Glasses, Explained

There’s a lot to consider when selecting wine glasses – the shape, size, crystal vs. glass. 

We asked our Bright Cellars’ community, “what’s your go-to wine glass?” and here are the results.

THE RESULTS

  • 47.2% of respondents chose universal.
  • 39.3% of respondents said stemless.
  • 6.9% of respondents chose a coupe glass. 
  • 4.1% of respondents prefer a wine tumbler. 
  • 2.4% of respondents said they reach for a sparkling flute.

We also asked our Bright Cellars Instagram community and got some honest responses that made us chuckle: 

  • A big one with a stem!
  • Small mason jar 
  • Straight from the bottle ????
  • What’s a glass? 

It looks like the majority of you are opting for a universal or stemless glass, unless you’re just swigging it from the bottle. No judgements here! Let’s dive into when to use which glass. 

When to use a universal glass

You guessed it – the universal glass is suggested for any and all wine experiences, from deep reds to sparkling rosés. We always recommend having a set of these on hand, as they’re extremely versatile. 

When to use a stemless glass

Stemless glasses are traditionally used for wines that aren’t served chilled. The idea is the body warmth from your hand could affect the temperature of the beverage, so people will often opt for a glass with a stem when serving chilled wines. 

When to use a sparkling flute

Flutes are generally reserved for Champagne or sparkling wine. 

When to use a coupe glass

You could also go old school and use a coupe glass for your Champagne, Great Gatsby-style. These give your sipping sessions a vintage vibe.  

When to use a tumbler

Tumblers are great for on-the-go experiences like picnics or concerts. The more insulated, the better.  

Other glasses 

If you’re breaking out a fortified wine like port, sherry, or vermouth, we recommend using a dessert glass. This dainty glass helps with portion control, as dessert wines tend to be high in alcohol content. 

You could also opt for an oversized wine glass also referred to as a “Bordeaux glass.” You may think these big glasses only serve the purpose of making you feel like a queen/king when you pour yourself a goblet full of wine, but the wide rim can also help smooth out tannins in bold, opulent red wines. 

IN VINO FINITO

Missed out on this survey and want to get in on the next? Subscribe to our daily newsletter, Glass Half Full. It’s chock-full of wine education, wine and food pairing tips, cocktail recipes, and current events in the wine community. 

Already subscribed? Come back every Monday for another fun wine-inspired survey question! 

Comments

comments

Bright Cellars

Our staff is full of passionate wine lovers. With our amazing sommeliers at the helm, we’ve been schooled on all things wine. We came together to write this article, in hopes of spreading a little wine-ducation with you.

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.