One of the most frequent questions I receive in my email is “What is the best wine glass?” The answer? It depends. You need to consider a variety of things like:

• Are you going to use them for red wine, white wine or champagne?
• Do you want fancy or casual looking wine glasses?
• Do you drink expensive wines often and are seriously interested in wine?
• Where are you going to use your wine glasses? Only at a sturdy table or outside on the patio?
• Do you have a bunch of active kids or pets running around your house?
• Is it important to you that your guests recognize your wine glasses as a top-end famous brand?

Sounds complicated, right?  Not really.  Most of these decisions are fairly simple, and several of them are a function of the structure of a wine glass.  Most wine glasses have the same basic structure:  A bowl, a stem and a base.  The bowl holds the wine, and the shape of that bowl affects the way the wine smells and the way it tastes.  The stem is primarily there to lend some elegance to the glass, but it is functional, too.  It helps keep fingerprints off the bowl and minimizes the heat from your skin heating up the wine in the bowl.  The base of the glass is just the part that keeps it level on the table.

Stemless wine glasses have become quite popular in the past few years.  Yes, they look a little less formal and do get fingerprints; however, they also don’t tip over and spill so easily.

Over the next few days, we’re going to look at a variety of wine glasses and which styles are best suited for your specific needs and budget.

Ready to shop for Wine Glasses? Amazon has a terrific selection and better prices than you’ll find anywhere else.