I guess we should start with the most important question: Does a glass really make a difference to a wine’s taste? After copious research and testing, I can tell you that glassware does matter to your enjoyment of wine. Certain glass shapes and materials do enhance wine’s aroma and flavor—and some even detract from it! I tested several highly regarded wine glasses and found the best premium, mid-tier, and affordable options for all kinds of wine drinkers.

Mark Thomas’ glasses are known for their unique profile and sommelier-loved quality. Made with lead-free crystal the glasses can survive years of dishwashing without clouding up. They have a shorter stem, which gives you more grip when swirling and aerating and makes them more stable to hold. Material: Hand-blown crystal | Capacity: 25.9 ounces | Dimensions (HxW): 9.1 x 4.3 inches | Dishwasher safe: Yes

Depending on your reasons for buying glassware, you need to think about the size of the bowl. If you’re more of a red wine drinker, you’ll need a bigger bowl to properly swirl and aerate the wine and a smaller bowl for white wines. The actual height of the glass is something to think about, too. How does the glass feel in your hand? You don’t want it to feel too small or too big. Weight Unwanted Food or Drink Products - Once supply conditions are broken, there are a number of factors outside of our control that can affect the quality of a product. Therefore perishable goods such as food and drink cannot be returned. Stem versus no-stem is a personal choice, however, Rudzinski notes, “While I am not opposed to stemless models of glassware, I would always select a wine glass with a stem.The main reason here is keeping the temperature of the wine constant. Additionally, a stem allows for more control to swirl and aerate the wine—which displays more aromas.”

The first thing that anyone will notice about this glass is the unique and fascinating shape—but there's much more to the Josephinenhütte Josephine No. 3 Red Wine Glass than what first meets the eye. A visually striking glass crafted from lead-free crystal, it's also an ideal vessel for your next glass of robust red wine. While it might be a bit pricey compared to other options, it's a statement piece—and also happens to be a very practical red wine vessel. While there will always be discourse around what glass is perfect for whites and reds, Riedel’s everyday-ready glass makes a case for sipping everything out of the same glass. It’s got a slender bowl and a thin lip that will showcase tannic reds, effervescent bubbles, fizzy beers, and bright whites equally well. The short stem gives it balance but is long enough to allow enough room to aerate your wine. One of the major superiorities about Zalto Denk'Art Wine Glasses lies in how light [they are],” says Tsiddon. “When pouring the wine and holding the glass up, you cannot feel it exists; the glass is nearly transparent, both visually and physically,” she says.“[It] makes the wine taste even more majestic than it usually does.” If you’re looking for something that looks and feels luxurious, these Bordeaux glasses—designed for rich, full-bodied reds—are your best bet. And although these wine glasses may be pricey, the thin lip, light weight, and elegant stem of a Zalto glass show off a great wine to its best advantage. Okay, so, it’s no Zalto, but the Riedel Veritas is half the cost and was a consistent runner-up in test after test. This glass is still fragile thanks to a spindly stem the company has become known for, but the leaded crystal has a slightly sturdier construction than the Zalto while still boasting a narrow rim that feels luxurious and comfortable for sipping. Naysayers might feel there's no difference, that a pour into a regular drinking glass doesn't ultimately change the wine for the casual wine drinker. Our feeling is that there's nothing snooty about enhancing an everyday experience with an upgrade, and when it comes to enjoying wine, it can make a genuine difference. We've tested dozens of wine glasses, all vetted by our editors, sommeliers, and wine industry experts, to bring together a list of the most timeless wine glass sets to serve yourself and your guests at home.Additional reporting was done by Amina Lake Abdelrahman, a commerce editor, and Laura Denby, a WSET Level 2 Award in Wine and Spirits White and red wines performed well in this glass, although we observed that its narrow profile makes swirling a little difficult, so it's not as ideal for full aeration as some of the larger options we tried. That said, despite being a universal glass, it's also an excellent option for sparkling wine. The thinner orientation offers great visuals of the bubbles, and the smaller surface area means that not too much carbonation is lost as the wine sits. For any wine you plan to pour for friends at home—especially bubbly!—the Verbelle set is a great option. Megan Soll is the Associate Editorial Director for Commerce on Food & Wine and has a WSET Level 1 Award in Wine and Spirits In terms of shape, I recommend buying one set of white glasses and one set of red (Burgundy are more useful than Bordeaux) glasses. Although Zalto has challenges because it is so delicate and thin, the absolute pleasure and improvement of each glass is worth every moment of stress…but only if you can handle being overly cautious with the glass. My advice: Get one or two Zalto Burgundy glasses for special occasions and buy the Riedel Veritas or Spiegelau Vino Grande for your everyday enjoyment. Material: Crystal | Capacity: 12.3 ounces | Dimensions (HxW): 7.75 x 3 inches | Dishwasher safe: Yes

Our sommelier experts include Laura Newman, Owner of Queen’s Park and Neon Moon (Level 2 Somm.), Seth Dunagen, Helen (Level 2 Somm.), and Trent Stewart and Brendan Loper from Golden Age Wine Ask any professional, and they’ll tell you that Zalto is somewhat of an icon in the world of wine, with the Denk’Art line among its most widely beloved. This Austrian brand was even one of the first to introduce hand-crafted and mouth-blown functional glasses to the market, according to Shira Tsiddon, sommelier at The Norman Hotel in Tel Aviv. The beauty of these 23-ounce style-specific glasses, she says, is the combination of elegant, clean lines, thoughtful design inspired by the Earth’s tilt angles, and its versatility to function in a fine dining setting and a cabinet at home. Different types of glass or crystal are more appropriate for various environments,” describes Diane Clemenhagen of Geraldine’s Austin. “A busy restaurant or bar will need something a bit more durable while your home collection might get less use and can be more delicate. A good rule is the less you use it, the more delicate you can go and vice versa.” Hand Blown glasses are much lighter and more fragile than machine-made glasses. They are all unique and one of a kind,” describesJustin Wilson, the director of outlets at SAAM Lounge. That said, “To a regular consumer, the machine-made glasses quality is so high right now that most people won’t be able to tell a difference.” I recommend storing them standing upright because there is a much less chance for chipping at the top of the glass. If they are very expensive glasses, you can always save them in the box they came in and take them out when you use them. There are also wine storage boxes you can use as well,” says Shapiro.

A Sommelier’s Final Thoughts on What to Buy

The shape of the glass will affect the taste of the wine. The top of the glass should curve inward, concentrating the aromas; this, in turn, enhances the flavor of the wine. Red wine glasses should have a larger bowl than white since a bigger bowl allows for the red's bolder aromas and flavors to emerge and increases the rate of oxidation, which smooths the complex flavors. White wines require a smaller bowl to maintain the cooler temperature. Champagne glasses are tall and narrow with long stems to retain carbonation and prevent your hand from heating up the sparkling wine. With so many styles available at a wide range of price points, shopping for wine glasses can be overwhelming. Getting insights from wine experts, though, can ease the process—especially now that the wine scene is moving toward a more pared-down approach to glassware. “I’ve noticed that people aren’t into individual glass shapes as much as they used to be,” says Doreen Winkler, a natural wine sommelier and founder of the wine club Orange Glou. “People want to simplify the wine-drinking experience,” she says. “You don’t need a burgundy wine glass to drink burgundy.” Still, specialized glasses will always have their place in fine dining and for the serious, at-home drinker. What size glass is best for you? Well, it depends on what you drink. “It can be overwhelming with all the choices available; I would recommend starting with a few all-purpose glasses since it works for red and whites. Then you can start adding to your collection with more grape variety-specific glasses,” says Benjamin Gutenbrunner, the beverage director of Blume. Wine glasses are designed with stems to keep your warm hands off of the bowl of the glass, which will warm the wine. Stemless glasses were designed to be compact for storage and cleaning and less prone to breakage. If you tend to serve everyday “house” level wines, or if you have a lot of kids and dogs running around your parties, stemless might be the way to go for safety’s sake. However, if you enjoy higher-level wines, having stemmed glasses on hand can be worth it to enjoy them properly. Céline Bossart's entire journalistic career has been rooted in the world of beverage. Naturally, this involves extensive market research, which translates to a robust glassware collection built over the years.

The concept of buying varietal-specific glasses is antiquated and can be quite overwhelming,” notes Justin Wilson, the director of outlets at SAAM Lounge. “Simply stated, life is simpler with a universal or all-purpose wine glass. A high-quality stemmed universal wine glass will accommodate most if not all, wines across the spectrum.” This Pinot Noir glass did equally well with red Burgundy, Nebbiolo, Bordeaux and more tannic reds but didn't allow for quite the nuance of flavors and aromas in red wine as the winning Zalto glass. Best Wine Glass for the Casual Wine Drinker: Spiegelau Vino Grande Glasses should be cleaned with hot water or washed with a small amount of neutral soap. I always make sure to rinse out the glasses immediately after use to avoid any staining. At home with some very delicate glasses, I will often just clean very well with really hot water,” describes Rudzinski.For wine lovers who appreciate a good value, the Angle glasses from Williams Sonoma offer a great deal of quality at a very affordable price. Tall and well-proportioned with a recognizable Bordeaux-style look, the glass had a classic yet modern appearance, and we found it to be reminiscent of the much more expensive Josephine glasses. It performed equally well for both red and white wines, highlighting the aromatics well and providing plenty of room for swirling with its large capacity.