The Simplicity of Stemless Wine Glasses
by Erika S., Wine Enthusiast Companies
As we move into the Summer months when outdoor entertaining is commonplace, stemless wine glasses are everywhere. These casual tumblers place the wine directly in your hand. Oddly enough, the popularity of stemless wine glasses is recent, with people adopting them wildly over the past few years.
With the launch of the Riedel “O” glass in 2004, stemless wine glasses became elegant. As the story goes, Maximilian Riedel (eleventh generation glassmaker from the Riedel family) lived in a small apartment with little space for tall stems. Many of us urban dwellers can empathize. Hence, he created the shorter, stemless, “O” glasses as a great solution. Max wanted a quality wine glass, that didn’t take up much space. Hence, Riedel created his own version of a high-end stemless wine glass.
These days, stemless wine glasses are a required vessel in all wine lover’s cabinets. When refinement is less important than simplicity, a stemless wine glass is a great solution. If you’re hosting a party with a lot of guests, stemless wine glasses can go directly in the dishwasher without the worry of stem breakage.
So one might ask, why did glasses have stems in the first place? For more serious tastings, the stem of a glass allows one to swirl the wine easily and evenly. It also prevents foggy hand prints which can muck up the look of your glass. Finally, holding a glass at its stem helps maintain the temperature of the wine. When a glass is held at the bowl, your warm hand can heat up the wine over time.
It all comes down to selecting the type of glass that suits your needs. Stemless or stemmed wine glasses is a personal choice and it may depend on the occasion. For summer entertaining, you may prefer stemless. We have a wide variety of stemless wine glasses in all shapes, patterns, and sizes perfect for any occasion. Our new “Fireworks U’s” are popular for July 4th, or try the more tailored Riedel ‘O’ Chardonnay or Riedel ‘O’ Cabernet. Why not stock up your cabinet with an assortment of stemless options? You can even personalize them, so you know which one is yours :)
Do you use stemless wine glasses at home? What’s your preference? Leave a comment, and let us know!
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Filed under: Glassware
5 Comments
5 Responses to “The Simplicity of Stemless Wine Glasses”
Please Wait
June 30th, 2008 at 8:12:25 PM
I have found that wine glasses, like wine itself, are an individual preference and I like to offer both stem and stemless to my guests. I personally favor the Riedel ‘O’ series as they offer the greater stability of a wide base (important when I’m the chef) without sacrificing the elegance and quality of the Riedel line. Have been a Riedel fan since the early ’80′s and have never been disappointed.
September 19th, 2010 at 7:10:35 PM
I prefer my wine in stemware. But, I have a few freinds & family who like the stemless. I think it is because it’s relatively new & “the rage”. I like the look of wine in a stemed glass & it doesn’t get smeared with fingerprints. I realize it is a personal choice, so I too, have both available.
July 4th, 2011 at 9:43:50 AM
Is it possible to ordrer the Riedel firework glasses you use to have?
Thanks
August 17th, 2011 at 9:31:16 AM
Hi Charisse, thanks for your question. Unfortunately we are out of the fireworks glasses currently. We do have these Star Spangled U Tumblers though, which might fit the bill!
http://www.wineenthusiast.com/star-spangled-u-tumblers-%28set-of-2%29.asp
April 17th, 2012 at 1:15:09 PM
The use of “Stemless” wine glasses goes back further than ten or so years. In southern Italy, from where I descend, stemware was only used on the absolute most formal occasions until maybe 40 years ago. Besides the obvious reasons, expense and space, it was thought very pretentious to use stemware if you were fortunate enough to own any. I remember my great grandfather, Il nonno di mi mama, saying that red wine is so valuable you always hold it tight. Of course it sounds a lot better in Italian, but he was referring to holding the glass in your hand to warm the wine since they were kept in cool cellars. Fads usually have a base in something old, and the writer should have realized that.