Bling Wine Glasses

Wine glasses come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from tiny ones for dessert and fortified wines to oversized balloons that can hold nearly an entire bottle. But in recent years, bling has been added to the mix, with glassmakers adding a mix of pearls and glass rhinestones to their designs. The resulting glasses are beautiful and practical, offering something special for a party, wedding, or other occasion while remaining dishwasher-safe and durable.

Blinged-out glasses tend to be more expensive than their plain counterparts, but many experts believe that the extra cost is worth it. These types of glasses typically have a larger bowl than standard wine glasses, allowing the wine to be swirled and aerated. They also have narrower rims that direct the wine to specific taste receptors on the tongue, which is believed to enhance the overall sensory experience of wine.

Those who are willing to spend more than $12 on a wine glass should look for a design that features clear crystal with etched or painted motifs, with the bowl being widest near the base and tapering inward toward the rim to channel aromas upward. Glasses designed for whites, reds and sparkling wine should have a similar shape, while those for more robust and full-bodied red wines should be slightly more round than those for whites.

Those who have unlimited budgets may opt for varietal-specific glassware from Riedel, which revolutionized wine glassware in the 1950s with its designs that are meant to highlight different nuances of individual grape varieties and regions. The company’s Veritas series combines machine-blown precision with varietal-specific designs and is designed to be more durable than traditional hand-blown crystal.