Its a little controversial but I’m a big believer in “if a wine is good, the glass shouldn’t matter”. While travelling, I have spent a lot of time drinking wine out of plastic cups, water cups and goodness know what else. When a wine is good, it’s good.

However; when people come to my home, I do like to serve appropriate wines in their appropriate glass wear... for aesthetic reasons of course. There is also an expectation that when someone visits a wine importers house, there is nice glasswear. Also, my husband is the kind of guy that LOVES a nice glass. There is a running joke with our friends that he actually takes his own glasses to restaurants that he knows don’t have decent glasswear. I wish I could say it was a joke but it’s so true. 

So, that leaves the question of “what glass should I use?” 

My first choice is Riedel. I recently did a wine tasting with Riedel and it was a really interesting experience. Mark, the GM of Riedel showed us how different glasswear affects simple things like the taste of water, let alone a wine. He showed how a Pinot Noir style glass made Cabernet Sauvignon taste different than it did in the Cab style glass. Very interesting to experience and gave me a new appreciation for my different Riedel glasswear. 

In saying that; I do not like to use my Riedel glasswear when I’m having a party as I don’t trust my guests to keep them safe. 

The best thing to do for a party, if you want to stick to glasses, is to speak to a catering supplies company and purchase some Luigi Bormioli Industrial strength, break resistant glasswear. These are life changing. It takes a LOT of effort for someone to break these glasses and I highly recommend them for parties. 

In general though, I say the thinner the glass, the better it is to drink from. I’m not a fan of stemless glasses as your hands can heat the wine up. Stick to a nice thin glass with a classy stem and you will make any bottle of wine shine! 

“But what about Champagne?” I hear you ask... stick to a tulip style glass or a small white wine glass from Riedel. Stay away from small flutes, you will lose the delicate and subtle fruit characters in the Champagne. 

My question to you is, what is your favourite brand of glasswear?