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The Best Wine Glasses for Everyday Drinking and Special Occasion Bottles (2026)

Bon Appétit | Published: July 7, 2026 | By Emily Saladino
The Best Wine Glasses for Everyday Drinking and Special Occasion Bottles (2026)

Let’s get one thing straight: You don’t need cabinets filled with sparkling crystal to enjoy wine. I write about and review wine and I’ve sipped plenty out of coffee mugs and paper cups with zero regrets.

But there are reasons why sommeliers, collectors, and people who use terms like tannic integration in casual conversation are obsessed with stemware (you do not need to be one of those people). The size and shape of a wine glass's curved bowl, how the lip is angled, its thickness, and the mere existence of a stem can all affect how wines smell and taste.

My top picks

That doesn’t mean you need to shell out on hyper-specific stemware. One for Sauvignon Blanc, one for Merlot? That’s probably an unnecessary extravagance.

“I’m a big fan of universal glasses,” says Adolfo Hernandez, the winemaker at Sonoma’s Benovia Winery. “A deep universal glass with a well-proportioned bowl should make it easy to swirl without spilling. And if the bowl is wider at the bottom and narrows at the top, you should be able to appreciate the delicate aromatics of a Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, for example.”

It all comes down to how oxygen affects wine. A moderately sized, gently tapered bowl prevents over-aeration, which can be especially problematic for lighter whites and sparkling wines. But it’s still wide enough that you can stick your nose inside “and funnel the aromatic compounds directly into your face,” says Haley Wood, the sommelier at Cote 550 Madison and Bar Chimera in New York City. “An all-purpose universal glass one hundred percent gets the job done.”

Maybe this all strikes you as blasphemous. That’s fair! If you collect or are super passionate about certain types of wine, you might want to complement universal stemware with a few glasses specifically designed to showcase those styles.

“It really depends on what you like to drink at home,” says Alisha Blackwell-Calvert, an advanced sommelier based in St. Louis. “If all you drink at your house is Burgundy, you need Burgundy glasses at your house. If you have one style or type of variety that you enjoy, I would invest in the glass that will bring out the best in what you like to drink.” The flipside of that, though, is that if you find yourself in the mood for different wines on different nights, specializing with a Bordeaux glass and a riesling glass or even something as basic as “red wine glasses” and “white wine glasses” may be overkill.

In this story

The best wine glasses for most drinkers

Most drinks professionals use universal wine glasses at home. They’re designed to suit red, white, rosé, orange, and sparkling wines—and one set is all you need.

Glasvin

The Universal

Glasvin

WineEnthusiast

A versatile, durable pick that’s beloved by sommeliers.

What we love: The Swiss Army knife of stemware, Glasvin’s The Universal is big enough to swirl and sniff when you’re drinking an aromatic red Bordeaux, but not so wide that white wines get lost or bubbles lose their effervescence. The glass is lightweight but not terrifyingly fragile in your hand, making it a “fan favorite of sommeliers,” Wood says. To that end, I’ve spotted Glasvins myself in countless restaurants, including NYC’s Kabawa, and at the world-famous Burgundy festival La Paulée. The clean lines are equally suited to formal dining situations and your coffee table on a random Tuesday. Cleaning them in the dishwasher is recommended, but I had no problem sponging them off with soapy water in the sink. There’s a 75-day trial period and, if yours breaks at any point, Glasvin’s customer service is fast-acting and friendly.

What we’d leave: If your tastes tend to be more Rococo than The Row, you might find the mod aesthetic too understated.

Josephinenhütte

Josephine No. 2 Universal

Wine Enthusiast

Amazon

A handmade stunner that makes every wine shine.

What we love: The elegant lines of these handmade, lead-free glasses make sipping investment-grade Bordeaux, $11 Cava, and everything in between feel special. The slim stem is luxe but still grippable, so you can swirl with confidence. The tapered bowl aerates various styles of wine evenly, and the paper-thin lip is perfectly angled to drink without distraction. Josephinenhütte’s entire line is handmade, mouth-blown, and designed by Kurt Josef Zalto, a sixth-generation glassmaker and stemware celebrity (I regret to report that this is a thing). While the company recommends hand-washing, I’ve put mine in the dishwasher surrounded by Tupperware for years, and they’re still in peak condition.

What we’d leave: In this and any economy, nearly $100 per glass is steep. And those who prefer a sturdier glass might find the thin lip and stem stressful—especially considering the price.

Schott Zwiesel

Level 18-ounce All-Purpose Square Wine Glass

Crate & Barrel

An everyday option with unbeatable value.

What we love: Ideal for everyday drinking, these workhorses are made from German glassmaker Schott Zwiesel’s signature Tritan glass, which is designed to be scratch- and chip-resistant. While the lip isn’t the thinnest of any stemware we tried, it isn’t distractingly clunky, either. The gently angled bowl is narrow enough to protect bubbles, but not so small to make it impossible to sniff, swirl, and aerate whites and reds. The glasses are easy to clean in the dishwasher or by hand; just hold them by the bowl—not the base or stem—when you’re washing and drying.

What we’d leave: I like the angles of the square-shaped bowl, but some people might prefer a more classic, rounded look.

The best variety-specific wine glasses for collectors

I find that universal glasses are the move for most wine drinkers, but people who collect or are super devoted to certain styles may want to invest in specific glassware. Here are my picks.

Riedel

Sommeliers Grand Cru

Amazon

A splurge-worthy glass for your best reds.

What we love: These large-and-in-charge Riedels bring out the best in aromatic red wines like Burgundy, Nebbiolo, and Gamay. The tulip shape and flared lip serve a purpose, highlighting aromas and opening up the wine, explains Blackwell-Calvert. “You want to be able to fit your nose into that wide bowl and have the wine hit your tongue at a certain point to help release its flavor and texture.” When I tasted the same Pinot Noir in this glass and in a universal with a narrower bowl, the fruit flavors seemed brighter and I was better able to sniff out nuances.

They’re handmade from crystal and dishwasher-safe. I was pleased by how little they needed polishing after washing, too.

What we’d leave: You need to drink a lot of aromatic reds to make buying a specific glass for them worth the investment. The bulbous shape also means each one takes up a lot of real estate in your cabinets.

Zalto

Denk’Art Champagne Glass

WineEnthusiast

Amazon

Luxuriously crispy for all sorts of bubbles.

What we’d leave: The thinness of the stem can make Zaltos feel precious which, at this price, can be off-putting for some.

Baccarat

Dom Pérignon Flutes

Baccarat

A top-shelf option for vintage bubbles.

What we love: Flutes are divisive among drinks professionals. “Most sommeliers will tell you to drink your sparkling wine out of an all-purpose or universal glass because you can’t stick your nose in a flute,” says Wood. “But if you think flutes are fun and pretty, live your life.”

These stunners from Baccarat’s Dom Pérignon are sleek and elegant, with a delicate lip that complements rather than competes with the texture of the wine. The bowl is narrow but not to an unreasonable degree, making these glasses a good match for something like very delicate vintage Champagne, which you wouldn’t swirl too ambitiously for fear of overoxidation anyway. The glass feels substantial in your hand, and the crystal doesn’t smudge easily, so they stay sparkling.

What we’d leave: These are pricey, and the empty glasses weigh 4.3 ounces, making them heavier than most. For comparison, Glasvin’s universal wine glass is 3.5 ounces.

Why do only Burgundy and bubbles get their own special glasses?

Most wines are completely and totally served by universal glasses, whose gently curved bowls play up the aromatics and evenly aerate an array of styles. That’s why I don’t recommend investing in glassware for Bordeaux versus Chardonnay versus other varieties.

However, some collectors prefer bulbous, tulip-shaped glasses for red wines like Bourgundian Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, and Gamay because the shape highlights their aromatics. “It also gives plenty of oxygen to aerate the wine so it can grow and evolve in the glass,” Wood says.

Sparkling wine glasses are often smaller with angled bowls to preserve effervescence and provide easy access to all those fruity, yeasty, and minerally aromas. While I happily drink bubbles out of universals, some champagne enthusiasts prefer the smaller bowl size.

Flutes are especially narrow for the same reasons. Like many drinks professionals, I dislike flutes because I find it hard to swirl and sniff wine in them.

“It depends on the quality level of the bubbles,” Blackwell-Calvert says. “If we’re talking about prosecco, a flute is fine!” For sparkling wines with more depth, she prefers something that makes sniffing easier.

What to look for in a wine glass

Whether you’re on team universal, or you’re building out a collection of stemware for Burgundy and Champagne, look for wine glasses that you can comfortably hold and swirl without worrying you’re going to crush or break it. The bowl should be large enough that you can move the wine around without spilling it, but not so enormous that all of the texture and aromatics immediately disappear because they’re hit with so much oxygen.

You might like a sturdy or a delicate stem. Either way, make sure the lip isn’t so thick that it will distract from what’s in the glass. “I find that thinner crystal allows the aromatics to really show in a much more refined way,” says Josh Phelps, the winemaker at Grounded Wine Co. in Napa.

Consider how you plan to use your glasses, too. If you drink wine once or twice a year, and only on special occasions, it might not be a big deal to need to hand-wash and polish your stemware.

Otherwise, buy something more suited to everyday life. “Practicality is important,” Hernandez says. “You want something that can realistically survive the dishwasher, especially if you’re busy and enjoy wine at home frequently. A glass that’s too precious just simply won’t get used as often.”

How I tested wine glasses

To pick the glasses on this list, I considered price, durability, and versatility. What feels good in my hand might strike you as overly delicate or clunky, and what I find chic might not suit your aesthetic, so I included various styles, too.

The point of stemware is to bring out the best in whatever you’re drinking, so I tested different types of wine in each glass. That meant pouring light-bodied white wines, full-bodied reds, bubbles, rosés, and everything in between to see if certain glasses affected how the flavors and aromas presented themselves.

Wait, what about stemless glasses?

Unless you’re on a boat, or someplace else where stemware could be dangerous, I recommend stemmed glasses and stemmed glasses only.

Think of stems like handles. Holding one prevents your hands from warming up whatever’s in your glass too quickly (warm wine, no thank you). It’s also the perfect tool for swirling, which is not an affectation—well, not usually—but rather a way to appropriately aerate wine and give you better access to its aromas. If you’re spending your hard-earned money on wine, you should get the most out of it, and stemless wine glasses usually just get in the way of that.

What else you'll want to keep in your cabinet

Source: This story originated with Bon Appétit.

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