The Greatest Stemless Wine Glasses of 2022

Writing about something to do with, what I name, the WWW (on this case, the Large World of Wine) comes with dangers: there are very sensible individuals on the market whose complete lives are dedicated to the research of this one beverage, they usually know their stuff and aren’t afraid to say it. 

Enter me: starry-eyed lover of glou-glou (a.okay.a chuggable wines) who makes use of an app to assist select which bottle of wine to purchase on a given day. I’m not at all a wine skilled, however in some methods, that makes me (or anybody like me) the right tester for stemless wine glasses. You see, many sommeliers aren’t large followers of stemless wine glasses—the stem is integral, they are saying, to correctly having fun with a high quality glass of wine.

“For me, a stem is basically necessary,” says grasp sommelier June Rodil. “Particularly with reference to temperature, since you’re consistently going to be touching the place the wine is with a stemless glass, so you will be growing the temperature sooner.” Growing the temperature of the wine can boring or muddy the flavour. So, having a stemmed wine glass is necessary at fancier eating places who’re working a really skilled wine service and/or when costly, slowly-savored wine is on the menu; and if you wish to expertise nicer wines in a sommelier-approved method, we propose going with a stemmed wine glass. 

However being extra laid again with wine has its place and time, and a stemless wine glass units that vibe.

“They help you be informal with wine and never take it too significantly,” Rodil says. “There are such a lot of scrumptious wines which are simply nice straight out of the gate, and I believe if that is your function of ingesting wine, you are in an excellent place.”

In order that quaffable, chilled, juicy crimson mix (or rosé or white) you’re serving at an off-the-cuff yard celebration? Now that’s stemless materials. Stemless glasses are additionally good for, ahem, clumsy company who’re susceptible to bumping into issues (or mischievous cats who take sadistic pleasure in knocking issues off the counter); most are much less more likely to shatter fairly as simply as stemmed glasses. And you should utilize them for extra than simply wine—cocktails look fairly good in them, as does lemonade, and heck, even water appears a bit sexier. 

So, with out additional ado, let’s dig into the outcomes of our very enjoyable overview of stemless wine glasses. (A be aware about our lineup: there are TONS of stemless wine glasses in the marketplace, so we tried to get a mixture of sizes and styles to replicate this selection.)

The Winners, at a Look

The Greatest General Stemless Wine Glass: Schott Zwiesel Tritan Forte Common Tumbler

For those who’re on the lookout for a stable (and we imply this actually), all-purpose stemless wine (or cocktail, or non-alcoholic drink) glass, that is it. It’s a sublime however sturdy glass that’s a reasonable 11.25 inches in diameter—in different phrases, measurement for quite a lot of palms. The rim is easy and flush with the glass, making for a pleasing sipping expertise, and the slender opening captured and concentrated aroma. 

The Greatest Fancy Stemless Wine Glass: Waterford Magnificence Stemless Wine Glass

Sure, these are on the pricier aspect for a stemless wine glass, however they’re pretty to make use of. The rim was skinny and easy, and the glass was a snug diameter to carry (11.25 inches, the identical as our total winner). The glasses additionally had a narrower opening that concentrated the aroma of the wine. One be aware, although: they don’t seem to be dishwasher-safe. 

The Greatest Informal Stemless Wine Glass: Bormioli Rocco Stackable Bodega Glasses

No, these don’t appear like a conventional wine glass, however they’re a enjoyable and fancy-free European-style glass for imbibing wine. They’re finest for informal gatherings with associates who take pleasure in small pours (and who aren’t susceptible to creating messes, since they’re fairly shallow). They’re additionally very straightforward to stack, making them nice for these with out a ton of space for storing. 

The Checks

• Ease of use and spilling check: I stuffed every wine glass with 5 ounces of water (the equal of a regular pour of wine) and walked round with it, noting if the glass was snug to carry and if water sloshed or spilled. 
• Crimson wine check: I had 5 customers with completely different hand sizes use every glass to drink a 5-ounce pour of crimson wine. 
• Cocktail check: I stuffed every glass with a serving of margarita with ice, noting if it comfortably match inside. 
• Glowing wine check (winners-only): I poured 5 ounces of glowing wine into every of our favourite glasses, noting if it overflowed and timing how lengthy the bubbles took to quiet down. I then sipped every serving, noting aroma and the way the glass was to carry and sip from. 

What We Realized

Customers Most well-liked Mid-Sized, Versatile Glasses 

Throughout the board, customers most popular glasses that have been round 11.25 inches (or much less) in circumference at their widest level; they have been much less tiring to grip for longer durations of time than bigger glasses. The Nude ​​Pure Set of 4 Bourgogne Glasses, that are a whopping 13.5 inches in circumference, have been described as “large within the hand” and “similar to a fish bowl.” Whereas they have been optimum for swirling wine, that was about it. We additionally favored glasses that might be used for quite a lot of drinks, together with cocktails, glowing wines, and non-alcoholic drinks. The Schott Zwiesel and Waterford glasses aced our checks for glowing wine and margaritas, and appeared fairly fashionable whereas doing it. They have been tall sufficient to accommodate the fizz of glowing wine with out going flat shortly, and huge sufficient to carry a margarita with just a few cubes of ice. Although the Boriolo bodega glasses did efficiently maintain glowing wine, it felt a bit dangerous pouring it into them. The aroma was additionally muted, since they don’t have that traditional wine glass curve. We expect they’re finest suited to nonetheless wines or cocktails with out ice, like martinis, or in case you’re somebody who drinks their alcohol neat. 

Easy Rims Had been the Most Nice to Drink From

Glass rims ranged extensively, with some near-sharp, others bulbous, and but others easy and flush with the remainder of the glass. The rim on the Riedel O Wine Tumblers have been too sharply lower and the edges of the DuraClear® Tritan Outside Stemless Wine Glasses had a skinny seam working by them and have been uneven. Bulbous rims, like these on the Libbey Hammered Base All-Objective Stemless Wine Glasses, felt low cost and splashed wine ever so barely when sipping. In the long run, we most popular easy, flush rims, like these discovered on our favourite glasses, which have been nice to sip from. 

Stackable Glasses Had been Straightforward to Retailer

Whereas the bodega-style glasses have been removed from conventional form, this was additionally an asset; they’re very small and simple to stack. This makes them an excellent possibility for small-apartment dwellers or individuals who don’t need their cabinets taken up by a single layer of stemless wine glasses.

Customers Disliked Fragile, Mild Glasses

Customers most popular glasses that had a little bit of heft to them—our favorites weighed between 4.2 and seven.3 ounces. They disliked light-weight, fragile glasses just like the Riedels, which weighed a mere 3.7 ounces and have been so delicate, one consumer mentioned she “felt like I may crush them with my naked palms.” This type of glass might appear and feel elegant, but it surely didn’t appear to be the sturdy, informal wine glass we have been on the lookout for. Conversely, some glasses have been nearly too clunky, just like the DuraClear; one consumer mentioned they’d make paperweight, hardly a high quality we wish in a wine glass! 

The Standards: What To Search for in a Stemless Wine Glass

stemless wine glass needs to be versatile, straightforward to carry, and easy to sip from. We most popular wine glasses that have been 11.25 inches or much less round their widest level, and that had easy rims that have been flush with the glass. They need to even have a little bit of heft to them and never really feel too fragile. Bonus factors for glasses that have been straightforward to retailer. 

The Greatest General Stemless Wine Glass: Schott Zwiesel Tritan Forte Common Tumbler

What we favored: This wine glass was skinny, however nonetheless had sufficient heft to make it really feel stable and sturdy—it was additionally measurement for a myriad of palms. The graceful rim was nice to drink from, and the lengthy, tapered high additionally made it ideally suited for ingesting quite a lot of wine, because it captured and concentrated aromas and, with glowing wine, saved the bubbles contained. 

What we didn’t like: The opening of the glass was a tad small, although this was good for concentrating aromas, in addition to containing bubbles in a pour of glowing wine. 

Key Specs

• Quantity in set: 6
• Circumference at widest level: 11.25 in
• Diameter of opening: 2.5 in
• Weight: 7.3 oz
• Supplies: Tritan crystal glass
  Cleansing and care: Dishwasher-safe

The Greatest Fancy Stemless Wine Glass: Waterford Magnificence Stemless Wine Glass

What we favored: With skinny, easy rims and not-too-wide circumferences (11.25 inches), these fancy glasses have been snug to grip and drink from. The slender opening additionally captured aromas fairly properly, actually bringing out the pepperiness of one of many reds we used for testing. It was additionally massive sufficient to carry cocktails that require ice. 

What we didn’t like: Just like the Schott Zwiesel, the opening was a wee bit slender, but it surely was nonetheless advantageous to drink from. The most important downer is that, at almost $70 for a set of two, these are fairly dear; they’re additionally not dishwasher-safe. 

Key Specs

• Quantity in set: 2
• Circumference at widest level: 11.25 in
• Diameter of opening: 2.5 in
• Weight: 6.1 oz
• Supplies: Crystal glass
  Cleansing and care: Not dishwasher-safe

The Greatest Informal Stemless Wine Glass: Bormioli Rocco Stackable Bodega Glasses

What we favored: These sturdy wine glasses are finest for informal events, the place the wine doesn’t require a big bowl and tapered nostril to seize aroma. They’re tremendous snug to carry and are simply stackable (I dwell in a tiny residence, so this was an enormous win for me). Bonus: they arrive in a set of 12, which is a good quantity for internet hosting. They’re additionally versatile in that they can be utilized as lowball glasses for cocktails with out ice (martinis would look significantly cute) and in addition, oddly sufficient, as tiny dessert serving bowls (I used them to serve panna cotta and peaches with whipped cream).

What we didn’t like: These glasses aren’t nice for cocktails that require ice, nor ideally suited for fancier wines, since they don’t seize aroma. The 7.5-ounce sized ones we examined have been additionally shallow, so you will need to pour a barely smaller quantity than a regular serving if you wish to keep away from spillage. And whereas they surprisingly did a good job holding a pour of glowing wine, the aroma (and bubbles) light quick.

Key Specs

• Quantity in set: 12
• Circumference at widest level: 10 in
• Diameter of opening: 3.25 in
• Weight: 4.2 oz
• Supplies: Glass
  Cleansing and care: Dishwasher-safe

The Competitors

• Riedel O Wine Tumbler Cabernet/Merlot, Set of 4: Whereas customers favored the form of this glass, it was very mild and felt like it might break extremely simply. We additionally weren’t a fan of the sharp rim. 
• Nude Pure Set of 4 Bourgogne Glasses: This type of wine glass is historically used for wines with delicate flavors; the bigger bowl permits the wine to open up extra and the nuanced flavors to rise to the highest. And if these glasses had stems, we’d have favored them extra, however as a stemless glass, they have been simply too massive to comfortably maintain—they gave off fishbowl vibes. 
• Libbey Hammered Base All-Objective Stemless Wine Glasses: These glasses felt cheaply made, with a visual seam and thick, bulbous rim. Nevertheless, whereas we weren’t an enormous fan of the hammered glass look, it did present good indents for our fingers when holding the glass. 
• DuraClear® Tritan Outside Stemless Wine Glasses: Whereas, in principle, we favored the thought of a plastic stemless wine glass (who hasn’t had a wine glass by chance shatter?) these glasses disillusioned. They have been cumbersome, with one among our testers likening them to a paper weight. And to be frank, they have been quite low cost: the plastic had a faint blue-ish sheen to it and visual seam. 
• Tour Stemless Crimson Wine Glass: Whereas we actually favored the look of this glass, which additionally sat solidly on the desk, customers discovered the form and measurement a bit too unwieldy. The widest level of the glass is 13.25 inches in diameter, a hair smaller than the biggest glass in our lineup. 
  

FAQs

What’s Tritan glass? 

Tritan glass is a sort of crystal glass first made by the model Schott Zwiesel. It incorporates titanium and zirconium oxides quite than lead and barium, which have been typically used to make glass previously. In keeping with the producer, this makes them extra sturdy and fewer susceptible to shattering than normal glass. Tritan materials can be used when making plastic to make it extra sturdy.

What ought to I drink in a stemless wine glass?

Put away the flowery wine—as an alternative, use stemless wine glasses for ingesting enjoyable, informal wines that don’t require time to open up (a juicy, chilled crimson; most rosés; enjoyable whites; and even orange wines work). They’re additionally nice for iced cocktails and different drinks. 

What’s the easiest way at hand clear a stemless wine glass?

I like at hand wash my wine glasses with 5 Star P.B.W. Cleanser (a brewery favourite) or Barkeepers Pal Cleanser, each of which get cloudy glasses clear with out scumming them up with cleaning soap. To dry, grasp sommelier June Rodil recommends utilizing a microfiber towel or Graham Wubbies a.okay.a embossed paper towels. 

Do I would like a special wine glass for crimson and white wine?

Whereas some eating places and bars will use completely different glasses for various wines, in case you’re ingesting wine casually at house, a common wine glass will do exactly advantageous for a mess of types.