Certified wine expert's guide to the best glasses for your home collection

27 April 2024 , 13:00

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Certified wine expert's guide to the best glasses for your home collection (Image: Getty Images/Westend61)

When it comes to wine it can feel like there's a lot of things to know to make sure you're drinking it properly. There are so many different types of glasses but are they all that important?

I'm a triple certified wine expert and as a result I know a fair bit about the best way to enjoy a glass of wine. I was recently presented red wine in a plastic flute and had quite a few thoughts - I've since replaced my friend's 'glasses' so I don't have to go through that again.

The glass used can impact how you interact with the aromas and as a result how you experience the wine. If you're spending more than £10 on a bottle of wine then you really should be drinking it from the correct glass or you risk missing out on what you're paying for.

Sparkling Wine

Tulip glasses are best for sparkling wine

Many people assume the best glasses for sparkling wine are flutes or coupes. I would actually say it's neither of these. They're fine for certain things, coupes are great if you want a sparkling wine tower and they look great in pictures. Flutes keep a lot of fizz and you watch the bubbles which can be nice, but if you're looking to make the most of your wine then you actually want a tulip glass.

The tulip sits somewhere between a flute and a classic wine glass, this allows the aromas to properly gather - which is essentially what you're paying for when you fork out a little more for a bottle of bubbles. When you order a glass of champagne in France, or Mayfair restaurants, where they take it quite seriously you're most likely to have it handed to you in this shape of glass.

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I'd recommend The White Company's Set of 4 Tulip Glasses, they're made from lead-free crystal and perfectly shaped for bubbles. The set is £40 so if you'd rather something cheaper then there is a set from Katie Jayne on Amazon for £26.99 - the glass is still a tulip shape however it's slightly shorter than I'd typically lean towards. It will allow you to maintain effervescence and aroma concentration which is the important thing with this type of glass.

Red Wine

Krosno Large Red Wine Glasses

Red wine glasses are typically the biggest glasses you'll have, with the exception of a gin balloon. This is so fuller bodied red wines can 'breathe' and develop, making it easier to detect aromas and flavours. Most red wines are to be consumed at room temperature so a large glass works well as there are no concerns about maintaining temperatures.

Personally I prefer a glass with a slightly more angular shape as I think it allows more air to wine contact, letting the aromas fully develop in a glass, than you'd find in a fully round glass. The Krosno Large Red Wine Glasses is a great example of what I think the best red wine glasses look like. I tend to fill the glass to the widest part of the glass and refill as the evening goes on.

White and Rosé Wine

Compton Wine Glasses – Set of 4

These two wines are somewhat similar in that they're both typically served chilled. You still want to allow them to develop and savour the aromas but they're smaller than red wine glasses purely to allow you to maintain a cool temperature while also getting the most of the aromas.

I would say if you're only going to get one style of glass to enjoy at home this type is actually the one to go for. There are stemless options on the market but I'd recommend against them as it can cause the wine to heat at a much faster rate from being held in warm hands.

I'd lean more towards a rounder glass for white and rosé wine, something like Compton Wine Glasses – Set of 4 at The White Company is perfect.

Jada Jones