These Are the Best Wine Glasses for Your Kitchen, According to Our Pros
Updated: Aug. 23, 2023
Whether you're pouring a rich merlot or a crisp pinot grigio, you'll want to use the best wine glasses.
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Wine is just more enjoyable when you sip it from elegant stemware, whether you’re uncorking a bottle from a local winery or tapping wine from a box. And when it comes to hosting the holidays or throwing dinner parties, having a set of the best wine glasses is always a terrific touch.
But anyone who’s wandered through a kitchen shop or department store knows that the stemware options out there are near limitless. No need to feel overwhelmed, though! The Taste of Home Test Kitchen searched high and low for the best wine glasses.
How Our Pros Found the Best Wine Glasses
Our experts knew that finding the best wine glasses would be a huge challenge, but they donned their sommelier hats to put 11 popular brands to the test. Each glass was polished, filled and sipped from keeping these qualities in mind:
- Resilience:Â Are the glasses perfectly delicate? Sturdy enough for regular use? Too clunky or too fragile? Do they hold up to hand-washing? Can they go in the dishwasher?
- Shape: Is the shape of the glass elegant, modern or classic? Is it better for white wines or red wines? Does it feel comfortable in the hand?
- Material:Â Are they glass or crystal?
- Price:Â Is the quality of the wine glass worth the price?
Our Test Kitchen-Preferred Wine Glasses
Best Classic Wine Glasses: Lenox Tuscany Classics
Not sure where to begin when shopping for wine glasses? It’s best to stick with a classic shape from a company that does stemware right. Lenox Tuscany Glasses were a top pick among our testers.
With a quintessential wine glass shape, this stemware sat comfortably in our testers’ hands as they swirled and sampled wine. The glasses felt sturdy and our testers could enjoy a crisp white wine without worrying about cracking a stem or chipping the lip of the bowl.
The thicker glass here also makes hand-washing these much less nerve-wracking, though you can also wash them in the dishwasher.
- Best for:Â These glasses are designed for white wine, but we won’t tell if you use them for red (you can get Lenox red wine glasses as well)
- Material:Â Glass
- Price:Â $49.99 for a set of six glasses
Best Stemless Wine Glasses: Riedel O Wine Tumblers
If you prefer more casual entertaining or just want something different, skip traditional stemware and try stemless wine glasses. Our Test Kitchen’s favorite is Riedel O Wine Tumblers.
With this set, you get two unique shapes. The larger, rounder tumblers are just right for red wines that need fuller bowls to breathe and show off their depth of flavor. The smaller, slimmer glasses are perfect for white wines and rosé. Use either for refreshing wine cocktails and sangria recipes.
Our Test Kitchen team enjoyed sipping from these lightweight glasses. The Riedel tumblers felt comfortable in testers’ hands and had the right shapes that just made wine taste better (yes, the shape of the glass does matter!).
- Best for:Â Red and white wines; this set contains two different shapes
- Material:Â Glass
- Price:Â $116 for a set of eight glasses
Best Splurge Wine Glasses: Schott Zwiesel Pure Cabernet Glasses
If you’re a wine aficionado, treat yourself to some truly stylish stemware like Schott Zwiesel Wine Glasses.
These glasses gained top marks from our Test Kitchen for their unusual sculptural shape. Testers also enjoyed the fine feeling of crystal and that beautiful ring you get when you clink glasses.
While these glasses were fairly thin and delicate feeling in the hand—very enjoyable to hold and swirl—they didn’t feel fragile. In fact, these glasses are sturdy enough to go in the dishwasher. Use one of our Test Kitchen-Preferred dishwasher detergents for the best clean.
- Best for:Â While designed specifically for cabernet, the unique shape of this stemware makes it a good choice for any wine
- Material:Â Crystal
- Price:Â $14 per glass or $84 for a set of six
Best Affordable Wine Glasses: Crate & Barrel Aspen Red Wine Glasses
You don’t need to break the bank to find the best wine glasses. Crate & Barrel Aspen Wine Glasses cost less than $5 per glass but look incredibly luxe.
These sophisticated globe-shaped glasses are roomy and comfortable to hold—ideal for letting red wines breathe. Despite having a large bowl, these glasses are shorter than most stemware so they can easily fit onto compact shelves and smaller bar carts.
Pouring a good red into these glasses, our Test Kitchen found the bowl was just right for swirling, smelling and sipping—the basic steps of tasting wine.
- Best for:Â Red wine; Crate & Barrel also sells Aspen stemware especially for white wine and sparkling wine
- Material: Glass
- Price: $4.95 per glass or $34.95 for a set of eight
How to Take Care of Your Stemware
Our Test Kitchen’s top picks for the best wine glasses are all easy to maintain. Every single one of them can be cleaned right in the dishwasher. No more stressing about handling delicate stems!
If you want to take your glassware to the next level of sparkling and shiny, there are a few things you can do. First, add vinegar to your dishwasher. This will help prevent any soapy buildup and water spots.
You can also give your wine glasses an extra polish before setting them out for your next party, book club night or at-home wine tasting party. This step is completely optional but really makes your stemware looks extra gorgeous. To polish wine glasses, hold them over a bowl of steamy water and wipe them clean with a microfiber towel. It’s that simple!
