Questions Uncorked

Nov 24, 2008

Hi Samantha,

Thanks for stopping by the blog! Yes, stemware can be confusing – there are so many different options out there. To answer your question, yes, it is definitely possible to buy just one glass that can work for both red and white wines. You want to find a glass with a medium sized bowl and a flat or polished edge to it – you don’t want a glass with a rolled rim (it might sound a bit crazy, but it interferes with the way the wine enters your palate thus changing the taste of the wine – a little wine-geeky, but just trust me).

One glass (in the mid price range) that I like a lot that I use for both reds and whites is the Riedel Zinfandel glass. I find it to be a good size (not too big, not too small) and even though Riedel makes its stemware grape-specific, I find that this glass works for a very large range of wines. My other choice for stemware that doesn’t break the bank is Crate & Barrel’s Meg glass. I find it to be very similar to the Riedel Zinfandel glass in size and it is a good shape for being a multipurpose glass. And at only a few dollars a glass, I don’t worry too much about replacing them from time to time. One thought for your husband’s gift might be to buy several of the less-expensive glasses and then buy 2 premium glasses (say a set of the Riedel glasses that go with his favorite grape) that would just be for special occasions. Let me know if you have any further questions – I’m happy to play Santa’s helper!