12 best wine glasses for every occasion and tipple

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

When a renowned wine critic and a celebrated designer collaborate, the result should be something special. And this doesn’t disappoint. Unlike some of its rivals, this wine glass has been specifically designed to offer the best tasting experience for every type of wine, whatever its style or strength, whether that be champagne, port, sherry, red wine, white wine or rosé.

Light, but perfectly balanced with a tulip bowl that allows the wine to breathe, it also has a fine rim that means there’s little impediment between the palate and the wine. Mouth-blown from lead-free glass and stunning to look at, it could be the only wine glass you will ever need.

Best: For a new take on tradition

Rating: 9/10

Murano, in the Venetian Lagoon, has been the home of high-quality glassware since the 13th-century and Original Murano Glass is keeping the tradition alive with glasses that reflect that heritage while keeping abreast of modern styles. This 25cm-high champagne flute comes in a beautiful shade of pale blue that grows darker as it reaches the bowl. Superbly balanced with a long and slender stem but a very stable base, it has a pleasing amount of weight to it too. It may be pricey, but you get a pair of glasses that enhance the enjoyment of any sparkling wine.

Best: For a stylish table setting

Rating: 8/10

These white wine glasses are designed by the team at Denby and then handmade and mouth-blown for them by glassmakers. The attractive smoky shading is created by rolling clear glass in coloured chips and melting them so that they fuse. As a result, the colour is permanent, and the glasses can be safely put in a dishwasher. Contemporary and stylish with generous bowls and sturdy stems, they match Denby’s Halo and Praline tableware ranges but would work well in any table setting.

Best: For a retro look

Rating: 8/10

This mouth-blown champagne flute, with a look inspired by the champagne cocktail era of the roaring Twenties, is from LSA International, a London-based design studio specialising in contemporary handmade glass. The most noticeable aspect is the hollow stem which sounds like a gimmick but actually fits in well with the slimline profile of the glass. A comfortable 20cm high, it’s easy to hold and the disc-shaped base, shaped by hand, adds to its steady and stylish balance. The rim has also been expertly polished to ensure a smooth finish. Overall, it would be a sophisticated addition to any cocktail cabinet.

Best: For cabernet sauvignon

Rating: 9/10

A supremely stylish glass from a company whose history stretches back to Ireland in the 1780s. Generously-proportioned, these are big glasses – 22.9cm high with a 750ml volume – that bring out the best in cabernet sauvignon or any similar classic red wine.

The spacious hand-crafted bowl is designed to allow oxygen in and let the concentrated flavours of the wine breathe. In doing so, it also lessens the chance of the tannins becoming too big a factor in the overall taste. Statuesque in profile, with a thin stem and a wide base, it’s a pleasure to look at and hold and the polished rim enhances the overall sense of satisfaction.

Best: For sauvignon blanc

Rating: 9/10

An established brand leader, the German-based Zwiesel Kristallglas company is the supplier of the glassware of choice for everything from prestigious wine competitions to luxury hotels. And it’s not hard to see why. Dishwasher safe and lead-free, this elegant and stylish sauvignon blanc glass has all the features that make Zwiesel glasses stand out.

Using their own Tritan titanium crystal, the hand-blown glasses have laser-cut and polished rims and a protective treatment that strengthens the stems. With an angled bowl, it’s designed to bring out the best in a sauvignon blanc or any similar, green grape white wine, as well as being a durable and aesthetically pleasing shape.

Best: For red or white wine

Rating: 8/10

For those who like a bit of substance with their glass, this is a beautifully chunky wine glass which, as the sandblasted words show, is suitable for either red or white wine (and no doubt rosé if there’d been space to include it). Made of crystal glass and manufactured in traditional hand-turned moulds in Poland, it’s not what you would call a lightweight choice but it is superbly balanced and has that imitable “House of Bridgewater” look.

Best: For picnics

Rating: 7/10

A polycarbonate plastic glass that’s ideal for outdoor use. You can buy them in clear plastic, but we like this striking blood red example. As you would expect, it’s shatterproof, unbreakable and dishwasher and microwave proof, and the colour won’t fade or flake. Well-balanced, and with a generous bowl it would suit any event from an alfresco lunch to a music festival. Apart from being red, it’s also very green – by which we mean this polycarbonate glass only takes 10 per cent of the energy required to make a glass version.

Best: For engraving

Rating: 7/10

Diamante prides itself on delivering high quality crystal at realistic prices. These impressive white wine glasses with hand cut designs of ocean waves bring a touch of class to the table. Handblown and made from lead-free crystal, they’re a whopping 25cm high with a long stem and steady base. The lavish bowl successfully captures the flavours and aromas of white wine adding a new level of enjoyment, say, to an aromatic gewürztraminer or a tropical-tasting sauvignon blanc.

Best: For the wine connoisseur

Rating: 9/10

Don’t know which glass to have with which wine? Well, here’s a set that will help you out. Four individual wine tasting glasses: a cabernet sauvignon for full-bodied red wines, a pinot noir for lighter reds, a sauvignon blanc for more aromatic whites and finally, a chardonnay glass for more complex white wines.

Handblown in Germany and Austria, each has a distinctive shape, governed by the type of wine and the company’s use of the classic “golden architectural formula”, which means that the size of the bowl has to correspond and synchronise with the height of the stem and the width of the base. Costly perhaps, but they’re a superb combination of style and class.

Best: For artistic elegance

Rating: 8/10

These beautifully hand-painted wine glasses originate from Hebron in the West Bank, where traditional glassware painting skills are handed down from generation to generation. Each tulip-shaped glass has its own slightly individual pattern within the set of six glasses.

More than just useful glasses, these are works of art as well. Plus, they are scratch resistant and dishwasher proof, and the delightful pastel colours are permanent. At a height of 16cm and with translucent stems and bases, they will bring a touch of class to any dining table.

Best: For recycled rustic charm

Rating: 8/10

Small but distinctive, these are hand-blown glasses that have been hammered while still in a molten state, creating a textured, almost sculptured surface that is able to catch and reflect the light. We also liked the solid base that adds to the overall rustic charm of these highly attractive glasses. And, as these are made in India from recycled clear glass that has been crushed then melted down, they do good too.