Best wine glasses 2023

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• Best wine glasses at a glance
• Best wine glasses to buy 2023
• What are the different type of wine glasses?
• What are the different parts of a wine glass?

Best wine glasses at a glance

• Best investment wine glasses: Sandvig four white wine glasses, £65
• Best affordable wine glasses: John Lewis ANYDAY four wine glasses, £15
• Best individual wine glass: Mimi pink wine glass, £7
• Best classic design wine glasses: M&S Adeline four wine glasses, £25
• Best square wine glasses: Ripple Clear two wine glasses, £39
• Best glasses for sweet wine: Essence two sweet wine glasses, £27
• Best unusual wine glasses: Nkuku Ziki four large wine glasses, £24
• Best rimmed wine glass: Clarice Wine glass, £9.95
• Best set of coloured wine glasses: Jasper four goblet wine glasses, £56
• Best stemless wine glass: Maxwell & Williams Vino stemless wine glass set, £23

Best wine glasses to buy 2023

Sandvig four white wine glasses

• Available from MADE (£65)

Best investment wine glasses

These tall, elegant wine glasses will make a statement on the dinner table. At an investment price and with a classically simple design, they’re a great wedding or new home gift. Made of mouth-blown clear glass, the bowl tapers inwards to catch the aromas of the wine, while the long stem allows plenty of space to hold comfortably without having to cup the bowl and warm the wine.

Available from:
MADE (£65)

John Lewis ANYDAY four wine glasses

Best affordable wine glasses

Buying wine glasses for the first time? From the affordable John Lewis ANYDAY range, this set of four is just £15, meaning there's no need to panic if one breaks. Available in different sizes for red or white wines, the simple, practical design with a long stem makes this a great starter set.

Mimi pink wine glass

Best individual wine glass

This pretty glass is perfect if you don’t want a matching set and prefer to create eclectic tablescapes. We love the delicate soft lilac shade and it’s available in pale green, too. The goblet-style shape has plenty of detail on the short handle and ridges on the glass for extra grip.

M&S Adeline four wine glasses

Best classic design wine glasses

For a traditional crystal-style wine glass at an affordable price, you can’t beat this set of four from M&S. The dotted design at the base provides extra grip and they're dishwasher-safe, too. There are also matching tumblers and highballs in the same style if you want to complete the set.

Ripple Clear two wine glasses

• Available from Heal's (£39)

Best square wine glasses

A twist on a classic, these short, square glasses make for versatile glassware beyond just wine. The Art Deco-inspired design is well-suited to those looking for a more contemporary look, with a robust ridged bowl and smooth base.

Available from:
Heal's (£39)

Essence two sweet wine glasses

• Available from Amara (£27)

Best for sweet wine

If you like sipping on a sweet dessert wine, this set of two towering glasses is what you need. With a long slender stem and small 15cl bowl, these are suited to the small quantities required of intense sweet wines and are perfect for bringing out after dinner. Despite their delicate appearance, they're dishwasher-safe.

Available from:
Amara (£27)

Nkuku Ziki four large wine glasses

• Available from Nkuku (£24)

Best unusual wine glasses

There’s plenty of story behind these unusual conical wine glasses. Made from recycled glass, which is crushed and melted down to be able to reuse, these glasses are then hand-blown and hammered while still molten to give them their unique finished design and shape. Read our round-up of the best unusual wine glasses for more quirky styles.

Available from:
Nkuku (£24)

Clarice wine glass

• Available from Graham and Green (£9.95)

Best rimmed wine glass

Add some subtle glitz and glamour to your glassware collection with this gold-rimmed wine glass. Sold individually, it's made from subtle pale green glass and the wide, round bowl is finished with delicate gold edging (which makes it handwash only). Matching cocktail coupe glasses and tumblers are also available.

Available from:
Graham and Green (£9.95)

Jasper four goblet wine glasses

Best set of coloured wine glasses

Want to make a bold statement with your wine glasses? These goblet-style designs have a striking and unique teal brushstroke pattern and are made of handcrafted soda lime glass. Perfect for displaying on a bar top or open shelves. These are recommended for handwash only.

Maxwell & Williams Vino stemless wine glass set

Best stemless wine glasses

If you prefer a stemless wine glass, you can’t go wrong with this elegant set. The gently curved design has a generous 400ml capacity. Although these are dishwasher-safe, we’d recommend handwashing for maximum clarity. Available in a set of six instead of the usual two or four, it’s great if you like entertaining larger groups or want them to double up as elegant water glasses, too. They also arrive packaged in a gift box – handy if you want to gift a set.

What are the different types of wine glasses?

Broadly speaking, wine glasses divide into either red or white wine designs. Within these, there are multiple more categories designed by big glassware brands for specific grapes or styles, if you want to get ultra-specific with the best wine to the best glass, or you only drink one type of wine. If you have broader tastes, general glassware will be fine.

Red wine glasses are generally taller and have a larger bowl than white wine glasses. Red wines are more intense than white and may have stronger aromas, so having a larger bowl gives the wine room to ‘breathe’ and open up, releasing the aromas and flavours.

White wine glasses are smaller than red wine glasses both in height and bowl size. This allows the aromas to be closer to you as you drink, which is helpful when they're lighter than red wine. Smaller glasses also help keep white wine cool rather than large designs which will be warm by the time you reach the end of the glass.

What are the different parts of a wine glass?

There are three parts to a wine glass:

The bowl – this is the part that holds the wine and varies the most between glasses. There are different sizes for red and wine glasses, and bowls can come in all shapes and sizes: deep round bowls, refined ovals or straight-edged cylinders.

The stem – this is the part of the glass you hold (hold the stem rather than the bowl to avoid warming the wine with your hands). These can be chunky and ornate or slender and delicate. Modern stemless wine glasses are the exception and sit flat on the base of the bowl instead.

The base – this is the part of the glass that sits on the surface and should be balanced in proportion to the size and weight of the rest of the glass.

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