<p>We need to replace our dwindling collection of wine glasses before having 12 for Christmas dinner. I have some Waterford crystal that I bought 30 years ago, but I only have 4 of each and at their prices I will not be bringing those numbers to 12! I found something I like on Homeclick, on sale, and 10% more off. But there is a bewildering variety of sizes/types. I’d like general white- and red-wine glasses. Can someone tell me which of these to choose? Or if there is something better I should get, please let me know.</p>
<p>I also need to buy regular glasses. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>My DH, the wine snob, says - clear, no cut glass (smooth sides), and the shape does make a difference if you are serving a very good wine, where savoring is part of the process.
Having said that, if you’ve ever eaten lunch at a good local restaurant in Italy, you likely had an excellent local wine served for very little cash, in a tumbler. AND, at home, the wine snob has his wine in juice glasses and a small set of thick clear wine stems - chardonnay glasses, pinot glasses, and generic “wine” glasses.
Those glasses look lovely, and perfectly useful - that is the shape and size I’m referring to with generic “wine” glasses - a great compromise for a big dinner party or everyday use. </p>
<p>We do have a number of the “lesser” Riedel glasses, but we use those for company, dinner parties and the occasional celebration when we open a particularly good bottle out of the cellar. The shape does make a difference, but it is always a balance between that little extra bit of aroma and all the handwashing that goes on afterward. The Riedels are thin.
Our Riedel collection got its start in the sale aisle of Steinmart - I don’t know if they still occasionally have some Riedel.</p>
<p>A couple of days ago, NPR aired an interview with wine experts Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Their wine glass recommendations: 1) the bigger, the better, and 2) all-purpose wine glasses are better than specialty wine glasses.</p>
<p>The Reidels are thin but for some reason are hearty. I love them. DH could explain better, but they were designed to let the wine breathe and are the preferred vessels for true wineo’s.</p>
<p>I looked at the Riedels on HomeClick, but there are a zillion kinds. Some seem very expensive, some are in the same category as the Villeroy and Boch pattern. There is a promotion, but I can’t tell which glasses qualify. But most of them seem to be horribly expensive.</p>
<p>Can someone tell me exactly which glasses (one white, one red) in the Villeroy pattern I should get? Should I just get the largest size in each?</p>
<p>Or maybe I should get the Crate and Barrel glasses mapesy linked? Those are beautiful, but they are about the same price as the Villeroy glasses, and the Villeroys are crystal. Of course, crystal contains lead, so maybe I shouldn’t get those?</p>
<p>We also love the stemless Riedel glasses, and have found them at very good prices at places like Costco. I usually get the cabernet size or the merlot, and that seems to work well for most wines. And I wash them in the dishwasher with no problem at all. Topshelf. But have never had a single one break.</p>
<p>NYMomof2, You might want to check the availability of the Villeroy glasses on Homeclick. The Homeclick website says they ship in 3-4 weeks.</p>
<p>We bought a large number of the Crate & Barrel oversized wine glasses (both red and white glasses from the above link) for a Christmas party we hosted last year. They’re great. We never use our crystal wine glasses anymore.</p>
<p>Hope this link works. We like the stemless because you get the quality/wine enhancement of the Riedel glassware, plus they look nice, are easy to hold, don’t get knocked over as easily, and can be washed in the dishwasher.</p>
<p>I also love the Riedel stemless glasses. I highly recommend them–so easy to wash. Without stems, they fit nicely in the dishwasher–I always go with top shelf. I have one friend who doesn’t like them; she thinks stems are sophisticated!</p>
<p>I don’t like those stemless glasses at all! (Just the looks, I’ve never used one.) When we lived in Germany they often served wine in glasses with very short stems, which strikes me as a reasonable compromise. I’m reading this discussion with interest as dh has asked for wine glasses for Christmas and I haven’t gotten them yet. Hadn’t thought to look and see what might be at Costco. I listened to that NPR show. When they said the bowl should be large - they meant large - they said 22 ounces! They like to swirl their wine. I like those Crate and Barrel glasses. Strictly speaking the one on the right is more of a red wine shape while the one on the left can be used for everything.</p>
<p>I have the Riedel stemless wine glasses, as well as a collection of over 60 wine glasses with stems (red wine, white wine, champagne, etc.). The stemless glasses get used every single day because they go in the dishwasher.</p>
<p>mapesy, Thank you for pointing out that the glasses at HomeClick will not arrive before Christmas! That lets them out.</p>
<p>In any case, I am now leaning toward the Crate and Barrel glasses. I like both mapesy’s and northeastmom’s choices.</p>
<p>Somehow I can’t get into the stemless glasses. I think they look strange. We don’t drink wine every day, and I would like to retain the formality of stemmed glasses.</p>
<p>The problem with stemless glasses is particularly an issue for white wine. It forces you to hold the glass (rather than the stem) in your 98.6 degree hand, which then warms the wine, which you don’t want (unless of course it s overly chilled and is too cold). I am a bit of a wine snob, but I don’t own nice Reidel glasses (ooh DH, are you listening??? )</p>
<p>Put me down as another lover of the Reidel stemless for daily wine consumption. I also throw them in the dishwasher and have not had an issue. </p>
<p>In fact, in spite of heavy usage, only one broken in a couple of years - and that was thanks to a flip of the Golden Retriever tail over the coffee table.</p>
<p>Of the Reidel, I love the Vinum series. Not top of the line, but they look fantastic and feel very sturdy (even with a thin stem, they feel very good). Very generous bowl. As the “good” crystal set, we’ve been happy. For everyday glasses, I agree with what the Fresh Air program said (a great program, BTW, I subscribe to the podcast).</p>
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