All the wine goblets you may have seen can fall into two broad categories – stemmed and stemless.  For those that do not know the difference between the two, the stem is the long, skinny part of the goblet right below the cup and connects to the base that it stands upright on.  A stemless wine goblet is basically just a cup that is flat on the bottom to support itself up.   The most common type is the stemmed varieties, though you may have seen some wine connoisseurs touting a stemless kind.  Is there really a difference between the two types, and which is best for you?

Proper Handling

The first thing to note is how each type is supposed to be held.  Stemmed goblets are meant to be held by the stem, even though it may not feel comfortable for some.  The main purpose of the stem is to inhibit the flow of heat from your hand into the wine.  This way, the wine will not heat up too quickly or too much which will debase the taste of the wine.  It allows you to control the temperature easier through aeration only.  Having a stem is best for all white wines and light-bodied reds.

Stemless wine goblets forgo this notion and must be held by the container itself.  The heat from your hand will warm up the wine much quicker.  For a lot of wines, this can be bad.  However, for the most full bodied red wines that are best savored when almost at room temperature, heating up quickly proves advantageous.  Otherwise, you will have to wait longer before your wine is at optimal drinking temperature.

To sum it up neatly, stems are best for wines that are meant to be served cold, including white wines and the lighter bodied reds.  Stemless are better used as red wine goblets for those full bodied and earthy reds.  Be sure to shop for wine goblets according to what suits your palate the best.

Be Careful!

Finally, there is also the “safety factor.”  The stem of a wine goblet raises the center of gravity higher and makes it very easy to topple over.  Anyone who has held a goblet before knows how careful you must be.  Needless to say, the consequences can be messy.  For goblets without a stem, it is much easier to keep them upright and are not as great of a risk of falling over.  Not that big of a deal, but something to consider nonetheless.

There are a few things to consider before deciding on what set of wine goblets you should buy.  These factors include weight, size, shape, material, intended use, price and appearance.  There is a large variety of wine goblets to choose from, so it’s a good to have some sort of idea as to what kind you want and how you intend to use them.  For the wine connoisseurs and hosts that like to show off, price is of the least concern and the other factors are more important.  Casual wine drinkers, on the other hand, might just be looking for something that will hold liquids.

Size, Shape and Weight

Obviously, it can be a pain to have a goblet that is overly bulky and heavy.  After all, you do have to hold your wine goblet.  There can a tradeoff between extravagance and weight.  For example, pewter wine goblets will weigh more, while glass is a lighter material.

Some goblets are designed to be abnormally large.  Bordeaux glasses, for example, can be as tall as 10 inches.  Red wine goblets in general are shaped wider to allow room for the wine to aerate.  Some are as wide as regular bowls.    While wine-o’s can appreciate the larger size, casual wine sippers will most likely be concerned with simplicity and might lean towards smaller (and lighter) goblets.

Another important factor is the stem.  It is not required to drink from a wine glass with a stem.  Again, casual wine drinkers might opt for a simple goblet without a stem.  However, the stem does serve an important use – it prevents heat from the hand from quickly warming up the wine.  This is especially important with white wine, which is better served cold.

Material

There is a wide range of materials to choose from – glass, crystal, silver, gold, wood, clay, plastic or pewter wine goblets.  For red wine, any material will do.  Opaque materials like wood and pewter can be quite gaudy and will pair well with the boldness of red wine.  White wine is more delicate and would be better served in a transparent glass or crystal wine goblet.

Also, all materials will transfer heat better.  Metals such as pewter and gold will transfer heat better, while glass and crystal will not.  Because you want red wine to aerate and warm a little, it is perfectly fine to use metal goblets, although glass and crystal will do just fine – you may have to swirl a little more though.  Since you want white wines to stay cold, you would not want metal.

Price vs. Appearance

Glass is the most common and economical of them all.  If you go for a very simple design, you will not spend much at all.  You can also buy ones with designs painted on for a little more, but not much.  Overall, glass wine goblets are the best bang for your buck.

If you are willing to open up your wallet, you will have more lavish options to choose from.  There are crystal wine goblets with many intricate cuts that will shine beautifully and pewter wine goblets that come fully decked with gems and engravings.  If you want something to show off, it is certainly worth your time to look around at specialty stores for some really unique goblets.

Red or White?

In the end, you can probably get by with any set.  The best way to choose your wine goblets is to predetermine what kind of wine you will be drinking the most.

If you will be drinking mostly reds, then you should be looking for wide goblets with a narrow mouth.  The material and outer appearance do not matter as much, so be sure to buy something that reflects how you value your wine.

If you will be drinking mostly whites, you will be more limited.  A tall and skinny goblet is best suited for the faint aromas.  Glass and crystal wine goblets are best because of how they transfer heat poorly (you want white wine to be served cold) and how their transparency complement a white wine’s delicate flavor and color well.

And of course, wood has been used to make stemware and flatware.  However, with the prevalence of materials like glass, metal and ceramics, wood has basically become obsolete when it comes to making simple forks and knives.  You may see it once in a while as the fancy salad spoon, but not much else.

But what about wooden wine goblets?  Wine has been traced back to very early time periods (about 6000 B.C.) – long before glass and metal were commonly used.  After all, you always here about how wine is kept in wooden barrels to get their “oaky tones.”  At about that time, the only other material getting much attention was clay for pottery.  In fact, pottery was used to make most earthenware.

There are a few problems with wood.  First, the wood will absorb the wine.  This will damage the wood over long periods of time, as well as stain it (if drinking red wine.)  Secondly, the wine can be affected easily from being exposed to the wood itself.  This is not a problem so much nowadays because there are wood finishes to seal the wine and prevent moisture from penetrating into the wood.  Centuries ago did not have this luxury, making wood much inferior to pottery wine goblets.

Consequently, wood is not a popular choice for wine goblets.  However, with wood finishes available today it is perfectly fine to drink from them.  In fact, many that you find are very beautiful.  Wooden wine goblets are pretty rare finds, so the ones available are usually handcrafted and specially designed, meaning they can be quite expensive.

Because of their native look and feel, they act best as red wine goblets to complement the full bodied and earthy reds.  They can also be used for white wines, but they simply do not go with the light taste of a white wine.  For better or for worse, wood is just too loud for whites.

The easiest place to find wood wine goblets is online.  Since it is mostly small businesses that do custom jobs, it is most efficient for them to sell online.  However, if you keep your eyes open, you are sure to find them also in antique shops, garage sales and in other small corners of the universe.

Pottery wine goblets add a very unique tone to the table.  Since it is an old technology, they add a distinct rustic style, as well as a level of respectability, to the wine experience.  These wine goblets are best with full bodied red wines because of how well they complement the earthiness and power of those red wines.  They do not fare well with white wines aesthetically, as the primitive look of clay does not really match its delicate flavor.  If looking to buy pottery, buy them to use as red wine goblets.

If indeed you want pottery wine goblets to add a rustic tone, it is best to get ones that have earthy colors.  This includes shades of brown, red and grey.  Many pottery wine goblets also come with a glossy coating over the clay prior to firing it in the kiln.  This process is known as glazing.  It is best to avoid this if you want an earthy looking goblet.

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On the flipside, a lot of pottery is created with intricate shapes with beautiful designs on it.  There are many potters out there that are very crafty in making earthenware.  Be sure to check your area for local pottery stores for handcrafted wine goblets, as well as other flatware, vases and artifacts.  Also look online as there are more and more people are finding it easier (and less expensive) to sell their goods online!

There is a final option, which is also the most fun.  You can always make your own pottery wine goblets!  Go to a local pottery shop and learn how to do it.  It’s always fun to indulge in new hobbies.  Take a few classes and try making your own.  Or, you could pick out a premade goblet and design it yourself!  After you are done designing it the way you want it, they will glaze it and fire it in a kiln for you to use.  This is a fun and relatively cheap option that you should definitely consider.

Pewter is primarily composed of tin (about 90 %.)  Tin is a very soft and precious metal, which is why traces of copper, bismuth and antimony are added to give it hardness.  Actually, lead is no longer used in making pewter because of the hazard of lead poisoning and that lead causes pewter to tarnish faster.  When tarnished, it has a dull silvery grey color.

When not tarnished, it boasts an illustrious shine.  It has a similar appearance to silver.  In fact, some crafted items are made out of pewter and are silver-plated afterwards.  Even though silver may be more valuable, pewter is quite valuable on its own.

As a result, pewter wine goblets can be quite expensive.  They range from standard looking to beautifully detailed to fully decked out with gems and designs.  You can find ordinary pewter wine goblets in sets, but the more uniquely crafted ones come individually.  These are best to use as a display to add an archaic flair to the room or to use to clearly distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd sipping their wine (though they probably won’t like you very much for it!)

When shopping for pewter wine goblets, it doesn’t matter what you decide to buy so long as you keep in mind what type of wine it will be used for.  Be sure that the shape of the goblet complements the wine.  White wine requires a thin, narrow shape, while red wine goblets are bigger and wider to allow aeration.

Red wines are described as being light, medium or full bodied.   Light bodied is used to describe the red wines that are not very concentrated and don’t pack that much of a punch.  They usually generally have a light color and low tannin level.  White Zinfandel is a popular light bodied red wine.  Despite the fact that Zinfandel grapes have dark skins, they are removed before they release significant color and tannins into the juice.  As a result, it has a rosy pink color (also known as a blush.)

On the other end of the scale, full bodied indicates a red wine that is very concentrated.  It is the most flavorful and has a very darker red color, as well as very high tannin and alcohol levels.  Cabernet Sauvignon is a popular full bodied red wine.

Red wines boast a hearty and powerful taste.  The best type of red wine goblet to use is one with a wide bowl shape that tapers slightly for a narrower opening that will allow room for the aromas to collect inside the goblet.  You will want a goblet with enough room to allow the red wine to breathe.  The aromas and flavors from the wine will undergo a subtle, but pleasant, change as it aerates.  They’re strong taste make it best with rich foods like red meat, dark chocolate and cheeses.

Depending on the strength of the wine (i.e. light bodied, full bodied, etc.), the temperature you serve it at will differ.  Light bodied red wines will be served in the upper 50’s to lower 60’s Fahrenheit.  On the other hand, full bodied wines are served in the upper 60’s Fahrenheit – you want full bodied to be served at a higher temperature so it has an easier time to breathe and the aromas and flavors are released.  The type of wine goblet you use is important when considering temperature too, which I will discuss in a later article.

Overall, the best red wine goblets have a wide base with a narrow mouth that allows the wine to aerate, which enhances its flavors and aromas.

The best white wine goblets are thin in structure, unlike red wine goblets, that are much more spacious to allow liquid to swirl and aerate.  They have a narrower opening to collect more of the faint, delicate aromas.  These types of white wine goblets are the same types used for drinking champagnes and other sparkling wines.  Champagne is simply white wine that undergoes a second fermentation process to produce carbon dioxide, which is what makes the champagne bubbly.

Because of its lighter taste, it is generally served with meals with a light and simple taste.  It goes great with chicken and fish dinners, as well crackers and soft cheeses.  Since white wines are more delicate and refreshing to the palate, they are best served cold.  Otherwise, you risk the alcohol taste ruining the wine.

White wines are usually served colder.  They are usually served in the high 40’s to low 50’s degrees Fahrenheit.  Because of their more delicate composure, you do not want it to get warm enough that the taste of the alcohol will become dominant on the palate.  Instead, you want the subtle flavors of the white wine to stand out.  Sparkling wines and champagnes are served the coldest, and generally should not surpass 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  The type of wine goblet you use can affect the serving temperature, which I will discuss in a later article.

In the end, the best wine goblets for white wines are slender in design and have a small narrow opening best capture the essence of the wine.

There are is a large variety of goblets to choose from.  They can range anywhere from cheap plastic ones to very expensive pewter wine goblets.  While plastic is good for a party, true wine fanatics would appreciate having a set of crystal wine goblets to share a drink with friends, or a very gaudy goblet to put on display in a study or dining room.

Read along to learn more about the wide assortment of wine goblets available to enjoy both white and red wines.

Crystal and glass are often thought to be the same, and the term is used interchangeably.  Both materials are similar in that they are usually transparent and they have the same rigid structure and feel.  They also make a sharp loud chime sound when struck.  So what exactly makes these two different?

There are few, including the molecular structure, which distinguishes the two.  However, when it comes to crystal wine goblets, the important difference is the concentration of lead.  The amount of lead found in crystal is significantly higher than in ordinary glass.

Anyone who has seen a crystal object will notice the way the light shines off it.  The reason for this is that the lead oxide alters the index of refraction of light.  Coupled with the crystalline molecular structure, the way the light gleans off of it is very beautiful.  If the crystal is very cut [like a diamond], the light will be able to refract more and show even more colors, which brings up another point – the lead in the crystal makes it “softer” and easier to cut, and therefore, easier to create intricate designs.

Given how there is a significant amount of lead oxide in a crystal goblet (at least 10%), people often associate this with the potential hazard of lead poisoning.  However, in almost all cases, it is perfectly safe to drink from crystal wine goblets.  Research has shown that lead from crystal containers can leak into liquids if given enough time.  If you are using having a drink of wine from every so often, you are not in danger of lead poisoning because the wine probably is not sitting in the crystal long enough to leech harmful levels of lead.  Here is an article that explains it.  As long as you are not storing your wine or any other liquids inside a crystal decanter, you will be fine.

Needless to say, these are much more expensive.  However, they add a lot of character at dinner parties.  They can be used either as a display or to serve your “more important” guests.  Be sure to get a matching set if you are going to use them.  They come in many shapes and act as good white wine and red wine goblets.  The style and illuminating colors of crystal wine goblets are sure to impress anyone.