The Best Wine Glasses Reviewed

Wine deserves to be enjoyed in a perfect glass. Glassware is often overlooked during the home bar setup process, but the wrong glass for a bottle of wine can ruin its flavor and bouquet. The guide below will help you to find the perfect glass for each type of wine that you may prefer.

The Best Chart for Wine Glasses

Wine glasses come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are even stemless. The chart below will take you through the best wine glasses we’ve tried so you can quickly see what glassware rises above its competition.

ImageNameType of WineOur RatingPrice
ImageNameType of WineOur RatingPrice
Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal StemwareCrystal4.6$$$$$+
Marquis by Waterford Omega All Purpose StemwareCrystal4.4$$$
Riedel Wine Series Cabernet/Merlot GlassCrystal4.6$$$
Libbey Vina Round Red Wine GobletsRed Wine4.5$$$
Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Burgundy GlassesRed Wine4.7$$$$$+
Riedel Ouverture MagnumRed Wine4.4$$$$$+
Arc International Luminarc Cachet StemlessWhite Wine4.5$$
Libbey Vina Tall Wine Goblet Set of 6White Wine4.4$$$
Libbey Vina Stemless 17 oz White Wine GlassWhite Wine4.6$
Princeton Wares Stemless Shatter Resistant GlassesUnbreakable4.8$$
Govino Flexible Shatterproof Wine GlassUnbreakable3.9$$
TaZa Unbreakable Wine GlassesUnbreakable4.7$$$
Bormioli Rocco Restaurant Red Wine Glasses 4 pc.Everyday Use4.4$$
Royal Stemless Wine Glasses Set of 4Everyday Use4.5$$
Brinkvine Set of 2 Dishwasher Safe Reusable GlassesEveryday Use4.7$

How to Find the Best Crystal Wine Glasses

The #1 issue with a crystal wine glass is whether or not it contains lead. Lead crystal is beautiful, but it also causes the lead to slowly leak into the wine. Placing leaded items into dishwasher spreads the lead contamination. The human body doesn’t get rid of lead very well, so even if it happens one small dose at a time, lead poisoning can still happen.

The shape of the crystal glass is also important. Glasses with a wider bottom tend to work better for red wines, while glasses that are more flute-like in their shape are better for white wines. The advantage of crystal is that it tends to insulate the wine more effectively so your experience remains the same even if you linger over the wine for awhile.

Here is one of the top crystal wine glasses that we discovered during our review process.

Schott Zweisel

The problem with many crystal wine glasses is the quality vs. price ratio. Far too many crystal glasses are overpriced for what they actually do. This crystal wine glass comes in a set of six and provides the perfect everyday use glassware your home bar will need. The bottom of the glass is wide enough to support red wines, yet it is fluted just enough to be useful as a white wine glass in a pinch. These glasses are dishwasher safe for easy maintenance, but you do need to handle them carefully. If you twist the stem in one direction and the body of the glass in the other, it can cause a stress fracture in the glass.

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How to Find the Best Red Wine Glasses

Red wine has some unique challenges that make finding the perfect glass difficult. Different reds have different qualities to them, which the glass is required to emphasize if you’re going to maximize the experience. As a general rule of thumb, the darker the red color of the wine, then the wider your glass is going to need to be.

You’ll also find that many red wine glasses hold an enormous amount of liquid. This isn’t an invitation to pour a large amount of wine into the glass – although some days that might be tempting. You’ll want a large red wine glass that you can pour about half-full so that you can give the wine a chance to breathe. This allows you to increase the flavor and bouquet of the wine without the need of a decanter if all you want is one nice glass of wine.

Here is one of the best red wine glasses we found during our evaluation process of glassware for the home bar.

Libbey Vina

We love this goblet-style red wine glass for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s nice and large, holding nearly 19 ounces of wine if you were to fill it up all the way. The glass is unadorned, yet the curvature of the goblet itself is visually intriguing. This only expands when you have a nice red wine occupying it. The long stems of the wine also help to keep more of your body heat away from the wine so it doesn’t get that faint taste of bitterness that short stem or stemless glasses can sometimes have. These glasses are also dishwasher safe.

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How to Find the Best White Wine Glasses

White wines have their own unique challenges when being served that a wine glass must provide. You’ll find that the best white wine glasses tend to be thinner and allow for less air to impact the wine. That’s all good, but you must also consider the thickness of the glass being used to construct the glass. Because white wine is best served chilled in the 40F range, a thin glass material causes the ambient environment to quickly and negatively impact the wine.

Instead of trying to drink a white wine quickly so it doesn’t taste warm and icky, it is important to find a wine glass that will insulate against your body heat, protect your wine against the environment, yet still not be too large that it offers the wine a chance to breathe and potentially spoil.

Here is one of the best white wine glasses we discovered during our reviews of home bar glassware.

Arc International

Although this white wine glass is stemless, we love the heaviness of it. The foundation of this glass is very solid, which insulates the wine from your body heat. The slight taper of the design of this glass also brings the aroma of the wine to your nose with every sip, intensifying the experience of any bottle. This particular white wine glass works just as well for dessert wines like a moscato or a prosecco as it does for a Chardonnay, giving it another advantage. Although not rated for the dishwasher, we found top rack washing worked in a pinch.

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How to Find the Best Unbreakable Wine Glasses

The problem you’ll find with unbreakable wine glasses is that they are often made from an acrylic material. Plastics are nice because they’re shatterproof and highly portable, but they can also leave a bad taste in your mouth thanks to seepage into the wine. This is especially true for wine glasses that have been washed a time or two. The porous nature of the plastic causes a wine to taste a lot like dish soap.

This is why it is important to look for shatter-resistant glass in the construction of your wine glass. Shatter-resistant doesn’t necessarily mean “shatter-proof,” but the improvement in flavor of the wine is worth the risk. Look for glass tumblers for the best results because you can use these for reds and whites when you’re enjoying some time outdoors or have kids running around the house.

Many of the best unbreakable wine glasses failed to make the grade for us when evaluating glassware for the home bar. The option below was one of the few exceptions.

Govino

Although it is made with a thin polymer, these wine glasses provide a remarkably consistent experience with your favorite wine. There are thumb notches carved into the design of these glasses so you don’t have to worry about losing your grip near the pool or while you’re cooking dinner. The materials are 100% recyclable as well, so you don’t have to worry about ruining the environment just so you can enjoy a nice glass of wine. Just make sure you hand wash these glasses after each use. Putting them in the dishwasher will leave you with residues that can’t be removed and you’ll have to toss the glass.

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How to Find the Best Everyday Use Wine Glasses

Your home bar or kitchen should have three categories of wine glasses: everyday use, occasional use, and for that expensive bottle of wine that costs a week’s worth of pay use. You might use the latter wine glasses once in your life. The occasional use glasses might be once or twice per week, depending on how much wine you consume. If you like some wine with a meal every day, however, the best everyday use wine glass is going to be your best friend.

What makes a great wine glass be suitable for everyday use? It must be sturdy. It must be easy to wash. It should meet commercial standards for use, yet still have a certain level of elegance to it that makes it suitable for a home bar. Most importantly, those who are using the everyday wine glass should find it comfortable to grasp.

There are several good selections in this category of wine glass that may be suitable for your home bar daily needs. We found this particular wine glass is able to rise above what the competition is able to offer.

Bormioli Rocco

Made in Italy and constructed of lead-free crystal glass, this is the wine glass that is designed for high capacity use. It meets the usage standards for wine glasses that are set by the restaurant industry, so it can stand up well to high use needs you may have with your home bar. The design of the glass is more suited to red wine than others, but if you’ve got a $5 bottle of wine that you’re stealing a glass from while making a sauce, you’ll still find the experience a good one. These glasses are dishwasher safe, the stem is strong, and there’s even enough room to let your wine breathe for a few minutes if you want.

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The best wine glasses reviewed here will give you a glimpse of what the glassware for a home bar should be like. You don’t necessarily need to have a specific glass for each type of wine, but having these essentials can help you meet the most needs for the lowest investment. Get the wine glasses you need, pick up a favorite bottle of wine, and then toast to the innovative spirits that created a glass that brings out the best of every sip.