What types of wine glasses are there?
Broadly speaking, there are three types, with the rest being variations. The Burgundy glass is rounded and wide. In this bowl, plenty of wine comes into contact with air, which lifts the aromas, exactly what a Pinot Noir or an aromatic Chardonnay needs. The Bordeaux glass is taller and more upright. It directs the wine further back in your mouth, making the tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah seem softer. And the white wine glass is slender and smaller, keeping the wine cool and the fruit fresh.
There are also flutes and coupes for sparkling wine, small bowls for port and sherry, and the universal glass, with a capacity of 35 to 45 cl, which works well with almost anything. The latter is the wisest choice for most households and many restaurants: one range, one shape, and you can serve red, white and rosé without filling three cupboards with glasses. A crisp Sauvignon loses some of its edge in it, and a full-bodied red loses some aroma, but it saves a lot of hassle.
Our article which wine glass goes with which wine explains which bowl suits each grape variety. Here, we focus on sizes and how to use them.
How many cl should a wine glass hold?
A capacity of 20 to 35 cl is common for white wine. For red wine, it’s 40 to 60 cl, and Burgundy glasses go up to 96 cl. These figures refer to the capacity up to the rim and say little about how much wine you drink. You fill a wine glass to about one-fifth to one-quarter full, so a 55 cl glass holds just as much wine as a 35 cl glass. The difference is the air above it.
In milliliters: a small white wine glass holding 25 cl is 250 ml, and an average red wine glass holding 50 cl is 500 ml. In restaurants, the standard pour is between 12 and 15 cl, regardless of the glass size. A 75 cl bottle gives you about five to six glasses. If you want one range for everything, choose something between 43 and 55 cl. There’s room to swirl the wine, and the glass won’t look empty with a standard pour.
Large bowls of 75 cl and up have their own section in large wine glasses. For white, red, and rosé separately, see white wine glasses, red wine glasses, and rosé wine glasses.
How full should you pour a wine glass?
Fill to the widest point of the bowl, and stop there. For most glasses, that’s about a third of the way up. Above that point, the bowl narrows, and you need exactly that space. That’s where the aroma gathers, and where you can swirl the wine without it going over the rim. You can’t swirl a half-full glass, and it will smell mostly of alcohol.
It feels frugal, especially with a large bowl. Still, it isn’t stinginess but the reason you buy a good glass. Anyone who fills a 70 cl Burgundy glass halfway might as well have grabbed a lemonade glass. So pour a little more often. That also keeps white wine cooler, because the bottle is in the cooler and the glass is empty before the wine gets lukewarm.
Hold the glass by the stem or base. With your hand around the bowl, the temperature rises noticeably within a few minutes. Red wine is best enjoyed between 16 and 18 degrees, white between 8 and 12. Room temperature comes from a time when houses were much colder.
Crystal glass, regular glass, or tempered glass?
Lead-free crystal glass is thinner and clearer than regular lime glass. It contains minerals that make the glass stronger, so the walls can be thin without the glass breaking right away. Brands such as Schott Zwiesel, Spiegelau, and Lehmann make professional ranges that go through the dishwasher every day for years. They haven’t contained lead for a long time. So you can also store wine in one, for example in a decanter.
Regular lime glass is thicker, heavier, and slightly less clear. It feels less refined, but if one breaks, it’s easy to replace. Tempered glass is lime glass that has been rapidly cooled after shaping. This makes it more resistant to knocks and temperature changes, and when it breaks, it shatters into blunt granules. For a café or a terrace, it’s the safe choice. At home and in a restaurant that takes wine seriously, crystal glass wins on aroma and feel.
Can wine glasses go in the dishwasher, and why does the stem break?
Almost all the wine glasses in our collection are dishwasher-safe, including the thin crystal ones. Choose a short cycle at a moderate temperature, position the glasses so their stems don’t touch, and remove them as soon as the machine finishes. Lingering steam settles as limescale, which quickly dulls a thin bowl. Remove the haze with a splash of vinegar in the rinse water and a lint-free cloth.
A stem rarely breaks while you’re drinking. It happens at two moments: in the dishwasher, when a bowl tips over and knocks against the next glass, and while drying, when you hold the base and twist the bowl. All the strain then falls on the join between the stem and bowl, the thinnest part of the glass. When drying, hold the bowl and twist the cloth inside it. Then store the glasses upright in the cupboard so their thin rims aren’t resting on anything. If you prefer to wash them by hand, rinse them thoroughly with hot water. Soap residue leaves a film that you’ll later notice in the wine’s aroma.
The right glass
Two of our best-selling wine glasses. The Spiegelau Definition is a universal 55 cl bowl made of lead-free crystal, thin enough for a sommelier yet dishwasher-safe. The Lehmann Grand Blanc holds 54 cl and was developed with French sommeliers for both white and red wine. Find all shapes and brands in our wine glass collection.
Spiegelau Definition Wine Glass 55 cl (6 pieces)
Lehmann Grand Blanc Wine Glass 54 cl (6 pieces)
Good to know
Can you use one glass for red and white wine?
Yes. A universal 35 to 45 cl bowl works well for both. A very crisp white wine may lose some of its edge, and a full-bodied red some of its aroma, but it’s a good choice for everyday use and the hospitality industry. If you do want to taste the difference, start with one set for red and one for white, and only then expand to glasses for specific grape varieties.
How many wine glasses do you need?
At home, two glasses per guest are enough, so there’s always a clean one ready. In the hospitality industry, allow for two to three times the number of place settings, as some glasses are always in the dishwasher. Buy a range that will be around for years. Then you can simply replace a broken glass instead of the whole set.
Should red wine be decanted?
Only young, full-bodied red wine. Half an hour in a wide decanter softens the tannins faster than an hour in the open bottle, because the wine covers a much larger surface area in a decanter. Old wine is decanted for a different reason: to leave the sediment in the bottle. A narrow decanter is best for this. Browse our decanters.
Where does the wine glass go on a set table?
To the upper right of the knife, next to the water glass. If you are serving several wines, the glasses are arranged in the order you drink them, from right to left: first the small bowl for white wine, then the larger one for red. The water glass is closest to the guest, on a short stem or as a tumbler.
Frequently asked questions
How many ml are in a wine glass?
Filled to the rim, between 200 and 960 ml, depending on the model. You pour about 120 to 150 ml into it, up to the bowl's widest point. So a 50 cl glass holds just as much wine as a 35 cl glass, only with more room for the aroma.
What is a standard wine glass?
A universal bowl of 35 to 45 cl works for both white and red wine. In restaurants, this is the size ordered most often. If you take wine seriously, you should also have a rounded Burgundy glass and a tall Bordeaux glass. Browse our wine glasses.
Why is a red wine glass larger than a white wine glass?
Red wine needs air to open up, while white wine needs to stay cool. In a large bowl, more wine is exposed to the air and releases its aroma. In a small bowl, the wine warms up less quickly, and you can top it up more often.
How many glasses of wine are in a bottle?
Five to six. A bottle holds 75 cl and a standard pour is 12 to 15 cl. If you fill large bowls halfway, you get three glasses, and the wine tastes less good because you can no longer swirl it.
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