The Best Wine Glasses of 2023, According to Our Test Kitchen

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Toast to the best of the year with this top-tier glassware

Whether you’re an every night wine drinker or a casual imbiber, one thing is certain: A good wine glass is essential. While wine glasses sometimes take a backseat to the best and the brightest bottles, the wine you sip is just as important as the glassware you serve it in.  An ideal glass helps the wine’s aromas expand, which allows you to savor the distinct flavors of each bottle. Essentially, the better the glassware, the better the wine-drinking experience.

With this in mind, we’ve rounded up the best red, white, sparkling and universal wine glasses on the market and enlisted a team of wine aficionados to put them to the test. Read on for our top picks that will up the ante on all your wine and entertaining needs.

Our Recommendations

• Best Universal: Josephine No 2 - Universal

• Also Great: Glasvin Universal Wine Glass

• Best Value: Gabriel-Glas StandArt Crystal Wine Glass

• Best Splurge: Zalto Denk’Art Universal Wine Glass

• Best for White Wine: Richard Brendon x Jancis Robinson The Wine Glass

• Best for Red Wine: Made In Red Wine Glasses Bordeaux-Shaped

• Best for Bubbles: Schott Zwiesel Verbelle Wine Glasses - Universal Glass

Best Universal: Josephine No 2 - Universal

$205 at Amazon

What we like: A sophisticated mouth-blown glass that’s large enough to aerate both red and white wines.

What to know: At over $100 each, these glasses fall toward the top of the price range.

Designed by renowned Austrian glassmaker Kurt Josef Zalto, these handmade, mouth-blown glasses scored sky-high marks from our testers. We loved the unique, curved shape of the glass, as well as its delicate and thoughtful design. The slightly tapered rim allows the aromas of the wine to develop in the glass, and the bowl boasts an 18.6 ounce capacity, which provides plenty of surface area to aerate the wine quickly. We also loved that the Josephine glass is well-balanced and comfortable to hold. It feels elegant in the hand and is easy to swirl—an instant conversation piece.

These glasses worked well with every wine varietal we tried, and they can even accommodate large and robust wines like Cabernet and Syrah. This medium-weight glass is technically dishwasher-safe, although the manufacturer recommends hand washing for best results. The price point may feel a bit steep, but based on its performance, we think it’s well worth the money.

Price at time of publishing: $205 for 2 glasses

Material: Lead-free crystal | Capacity: 18.6 oz. | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Also Great: Glasvin Universal Wine Glass

$79 at Food52

What we like: An affordable, versatile hand-blown glass that works with all types of wine.

What to know: Feels a little top-heavy.

Crafted from lead-free crystal, this set of two feather-light glasses impressed us with its value and performance. Because the set is hand-blown at extremely high temperatures, it’s dishwasher-safe, although the brand advises that you load it into the dishwasher carefully to avoid breakage. Glasses measure 9.25 inches high, meaning they should fit comfortably within most kitchen cabinets

We think this glass makes a solid universal pick, as it performed well across all varietals. It features a smooth, thin lip that makes for a pleasant sipping experience, and we could taste the floral elements of each wine we put into the glass. One thing to note, though, is that this glass has a noticeably wide base compared to the small size of the bowl, and it felt a bit top-heavy in our tests. Also, given its delicate and spindly design, holding this glass by the stem is not particularly comfortable. We recommend holding the glass by the base for a more balanced feel.

Price at time of publishing: $79 for 2

Material: Lead-free crystal | Capacity: 16.9 oz. | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best Value: Gabriel-Glas StandArt Crystal Wine Glass

$68 at Amazon

What we like: An attractive and well-made glass set at a competitive price.

What to know: Better suited for reds and sparkling wines than for whites.

One of the first things we noticed about the Gabriel-Glas StandArt glass was its beautiful bell shape. This elegant glass has a broad diameter at the base and a conical shape at the top, which is designed to help concentrate the wine’s aromas. In our tests, we found this glass to be extremely comfortable, both to sip and to hold, and while the stem is a bit short, we thought this provided great balance and prevented the glass from being too top-heavy. While the glass appears to be delicate, it’s chip-resistant, dishwasher-safe and surprisingly sturdy. It comes as a set of two glasses, which are packaged in a sturdy gift box that you can use for storage.

In testing, sparkling wines and reds worked particularly well with this glass, benefiting from the shape of the glass and bowl. However, some may find that the shape is more conducive to reds and sparkling wines than white wines, which may lose some of their pep in a large-bowled vessel.

Price at time of publishing: $68 for 2 glasses

Material: Lead-free crystal | Capacity: 16 oz. | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best Splurge: Zalto Denk’Art Universal Wine Glass

$170 at Amazon

$156 at Wine Enthusiast

What we like: An elegant glass that brings out the aromas and palates of all wines.

What to know: One of the most expensive glasses we tested, this may be best for serious collectors.

If price were not a factor, we would choose the Zalto glass over nearly all of the others. This glass is the definition of elegant. We found the Zalto to be excellent for every kind of wine, offering up balanced drinking experiences on both the nose and palate. The thin, beadless rim of the glass was comfortable to drink from, and the lightweight design allowed us to really feel the weight of the wine while holding the glass.

While this glass felt nice in hand, the stem is quite thin, and we recommend handling this glass carefully to avoid breakage. Additionally, the high price point can be prohibitive for some. We think the Zalto may be more ideal for the for serious oenophiles as opposed to everyday wine drinkers.

Price at time of publishing: $170 for 2

Material: lead-free crystal | Capacity: 17.9 oz. | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best for White Wine: Richard Brendon x Jancis Robinson The Wine Glass

$128 at Food52

What we like: A mouth-blown, dishwasher-safe glass with a small, thin shape that’s perfect for white wines.

What to know: Reds and sparkling wines don’t shine as bright in this glass.

Designed as part of a collaboration with wine expert and Master of Wine Jancis Robinson, this mouth-blown glass was intended as an all-purpose wine glass. However, given its smaller size and narrow shape we found that this dainty glass performed best with white wines. The tulip-shaped bowl and gently tapered top favors crisp, clean whites, although aromatic whites play nicely in this glass, too.

Although the glass is thin, it felt durable in our tests, and despite being a little top-heavy, the glass is comfortable to hold. The shape of the bowl also lends itself well when tilting the glass on its side to assess the clarity of the wine. Given its petite size, we did think the $64-per-glass price tag was a little steep. But if you’re a white wine connoisseur, this glass can help enhance the bouquet of any bottle you’re sipping.

Price at time of publishing: $128 for 2

Material: lead-free crystal | Capacity: N/A | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best for Red Wine: Made In Red Wine Glasses Bordeaux-Shaped

$60 at Amazon

What we like: A high-value set of glasses that are shaped specifically for red wines.

What to know: Fragile-feeling stems may be prone to breakage.

At under $20 per glass, we were impressed with the value and versatility of this Made In glass set when we put them to the test. These glasses have a wide bowl and tapered top, making them ideal for rich red grape varieties that require some aeration. With a 23.75 ounce capacity, there’s plenty of room for swirling, and testers generally found that these glasses felt high-quality and elegant.

One downside to these high-value glasses, however, is the stems. Although billed as titanium-reinforced, the stems are extremely thin and may succumb to breakage when you’re polishing them. That being said, we found the glasses comfortable to hold, despite the delicate stems.

Price at time of publishing: $69 for 4

Best for Bubbles: Schott Zwiesel Verbelle Wine Glasses - Universal Glass

$96 at Amazon

$96 at Food52

What we like: Strong and durable glassware that helps bring out the best aromas in sparkling wine.

What to know: These wine glasses are machine-produced.

While these Schott Zwiesel glasses are said to be “universal,” we found them to be much more appropriate for sparkling wines than for reds or whites. The gently tapered shape allows the sparkling wines to aromatize, and it keeps the bubbles intact, since there’s less surface area. While the lip of the glass is thick, it’s still comfortable to drink from, and we found that it doesn’t detract from the tasting experience of the wine. These glasses also clock in at well under $20 per glass and are available as a set of six, meaning you can stock your home bar for a sparkling celebration without spending too much.

Titanium-infused crystal makes this glassware extra strong, an added benefit for those who intend to use this set in the dishwasher. One caveat: These are not mouth-blown, so the glass is perceptibly thicker than some other glasses we tested. Still, we think this durable set is worth owning for those everyday—and even bespoke—bottles of bubbly.

Price at time of publishing: $96 for 6

Material: Tritan crystal glass | Capacity: 11.8 oz. | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

The Bottom Line: The Best Wine Glasses

Our top overall pick, the Josephine No. 2 (view at Amazon), is a versatile and elegant glass that brings out the best qualities in red, white and sparkling wines alike. We also loved the Glasvin Universal Wine Glass (view at Food52), a slightly more affordable mouth-blown glass that is a great choice for those looking for a high-quality glass at a more approachable price point.

Choosing a Wine Glass

Size

When shopping for a wine glass, size definitely matters. However, much of this will come down to personal preference and the size and shape of your cabinets. If you’re considering long-stemmed glassware, make sure your cabinets have shelves that can accommodate tall glasses. By the same token, large-bowled glasses take up more storage space, so you may want to take this into account if you operate under tight kitchen quarters. Wine drinkers who prefer to swirl their wine for aeration should look for glasses with larger capacity, which will offer more opportunity to “play” with their wine as they drink.

Design

The majority of high-end glassware is produced from lead-free crystal, and the highest-quality glassware is mouth-blown, as opposed to machine-processed. The design of the glass can help promote the development of certain aromas, particularly in delicate or sparkling wines, so if you favor these types of bottles, this may be important to consider. Thinner glass, while more delicate and prone to breakage, often produces a better drinking experience that enhances the wine.

Durability

For fuss-free cleanup, consider looking for glassware that can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Machine-produced glassware is more durable than mouth-blown, but it is also thicker, which can mute the wine-drinking experience. While durability can extend the life of your wine glasses, it can also dampen the ability of your glassware to showcase your wine, so keep this in mind when choosing your glass.

Versatility

Glasses are available in both varietally specific shapes and more universal versions. But unless you have limitless space and a cellar that represents all the grapes and regions of the world, you may be better off investing in a universal set of glasses that can be used for reds, whites and sparkling wines alike.

Our Wine Glasses Test

We based these rankings on a thorough analysis and test of 22 prominent wine glasses on the market. We enlisted a team of testers, including sommeliers, food writers and seasoned product reviewers, to see how each glass stacks up compared to the rest. We conducted several rounds of testing in our lab, in which testers were asked to try out up to six glasses with up to four pours in each. We tasted one red, one white and one sparkling wine in each glass. We evaluated the durability and value of each wine glass, as well as the size and how it impacted aroma and flavor. After reviewing the results of our testing, we chose the top-performing glasses across multiple categories to complete our list of recommendations.

We Also Considered

In addition to the wine glasses included in this roundup, we tested some others that didn’t quite  make the cut. Here are some that we considered:

Libbey Signature Kentfield Estate All-Purpose Wine Glass ($45 at Amazon):
While this glass was affordable and approachable, we ultimately found that it underperformed compared to the other contenders in the universal wine glass category.

Wine Enthusiast Fleur Hand Blown Universal Wine Glasses ($60 at Amazon):
Although our testers did like this glass, its quirky design, with its long stem and divot in the base of its bowl, made it too niche for us to consider for a universal glass.

Riedel Vinum Zinfandel/Riesling/Chianti Glasses ($79 at Amazon):
Our testers felt that this glass was limited by its petite size, which makes it less versatile than others within the same category.

Riedel Wine Friendly Magnum Glass ($45 at Amazon):
These oversized glasses can be a nice addition to a collection, but during our testing, they fell short in terms of size, design and versatility.

Common Questions

What’s the best way to clean wine glasses?

Many wine glasses—most of the glasses recommended in this guide, in fact—are dishwasher-safe, so that can often be your first line of defense. Use the top rack of the dishwasher for your wine glasses, and space them out appropriately before starting the cycle. When they’re finished washing, dry them with microfiber towels to prevent spotting and streaking.

If you wash your wine glasses by hand, gently hold the glass by the bowl while you clean with a sponge and dry with a microfiber towel.

The best way to get rid of water spots is to hold your glasses over hot steam and polish them.

Should I buy varietal-specific wine glasses?

Unless you have an extremely deep collection and an ample amount of storage space, there’s no need for varietally specific wine glasses. Universal glasses work very well to help excellent bottles find their best expressions of self.

Are thin wine glasses really better? If so, why?

When wine drinkers sip from thin glassware, there is less interference between the palate and the wine itself. It’s a clearer, truer wine-drinking experience, which is why so many sommeliers prefer thin wine glasses. However, these glasses—many of which are mouth-blown—can also be much more delicate, making them both more expensive and more prone to breakage.

Our Trusted Expertise

For this article, we based our rankings on a thorough analysis and testing of some of the most popular and well-reviewed wine glasses on the market. We enlisted a team of sommeliers, food writers and editors to see how each cooker stacks up. Our writer, Hannah Selinger, is a James Beard Award-nominated writer who has written about food and drinks for both local and national publications since 2015. A Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, Hannah has worked for some of New York’s top restaurant groups.

Our editor, Kayleigh Drake, is a former full-time baker and current commerce editor and contributor to publications such as Food & Wine, Simply Recipes and The Spruce Eats.

Read the original article on Eating Well.