When it comes to deciding on the best wine glasses to add to your drinks cabinet, there’s more to consider than you might think. The effect of the shape, density and style of a glass on wine has been debated and argued about for longer than anyone can remember, but one thing is certain: while a great glass won’t make a bad wine taste good, the right glass will make a good wine taste better.
Different wines suit different glasses. A red wine glass is usually larger and taller, with a generous bowl to help swirl the wine, aiding with oxidation and releasing those vital aromas and flavours. White wine glasses may be smaller and more closed, to help conserve those crisp but delicate floral or fruity flavours. For sparkling wines, narrower wine flutes are recommended, although there is a current feeling that they may inhibit flavour appreciation, in which case larger chardonnay-style glasses should perhaps be used instead.
Then there’s the quality of the design to consider. The base of the glass should be stable, as no one wants their wine to end up on the carpet before they’ve even had a chance to take a sip. The stem should make it easy to hold the glass, too – you don’t want to handle the bowl, as this can alter the temperature and taste of the wine. Finally, different rims affect how the wine arrives on your tongue, for that all-important first taste.
For this review, I tested a wide range of wine glasses, from stemmed to stemless and from thermal to ribbed, to suit all styles and budgets. Keep scrolling to find out which ones I’d recommend for your next dinner party or drinks soirée.
How I tested
Each glass was used with an appropriate wine, whether that be sparkling, red, white or rosé. During testing, I considered the following key factors:
- Effect on wine: I paid close attention to whether each glass enhanced or improved my enjoyment of the wine.
- Style: I tested each glass with a variety of wines, particularly the style best suited to each glass. I tried these glasses with whites, reds, and champagnes and other sparkling wines.
- Design: When assessing each glass, I took notes on its composition – whether it was machine-made, had a fine rim, the size of its bowl, the thickness of the glass, and everything that contributed to its overall look and feel.
- Ease of use: Wine glasses that are machine washable, or particularly robust and durable, scored extra marks when I put them through their paces.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
John Clarke draws on his lifelong passion for wine to compile reviews and guides on the wide range of wines available to consumers. He started compiling wine roundups for The Independent in 2015, and has discussed everything from Japanese koshu and Hungarian furmint to classic options. He put extensive wine knowledge to good use when testing a wide range of wine glasses for this review, offering his honest opinions on which designs are worth your money.
The best wine glasses for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Krosno avant garde large red wine glasses, set of six: £37.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Habitat wide ribbed wine glasses, set of four: £17, Habitat.co.uk
- Best wine-tasting glass – Peugeot les impitoyables le taster: £42.99, Uk.peugeot-saveurs.com
- Best white wine glasses – Mary Berry clear signature white wine glasses, set of four: £44, Next.co.uk
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Krosno avant garde large red wine glasses, set of six
Best: Wine glasses overall
Height: 24cm
Capacity: 490ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Hard-wearing
- Stylish
Crystalline glass (made using lead oxide) is a more malleable and supple form of glass, which has the benefit of being more durable and hard-wearing – and therefore fully dishwasher proof, which is always a bonus.
Apart from these durable qualities, this set from Krosno offers a simple but very stylish shape with a full bowl and a narrow stem. The glass also has beautiful clarity, which helped to fully reveal the colour of the wine during testing. The larger glass size is ideal for red wine, so if this is your tipple of choice, you won’t go wrong with a set of these glasses.
Buy now £37.99, Amazon.co.uk
Habitat wide ribbed wine glasses, set of four
Best: Budget wine glasses
Height: 20cm
Capacity: 250ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Suitable for all wines
- Great price
Take note
- Textured design may not be to everyone's taste
There’s nothing wrong with wanting a bit of texture on your wine glass. These glasses from Habitat have a distinctive, Art Deco-adjacent ribbing around the bowl that’s attractive to the touch and makes them stand out from other designs.
Dishwasher-proof, the glasses are ideal for everyday use and suit red, white and even sparkling wine. The price makes them an attractive purchase, too.
Buy now £17.00, Habitat.co.uk
Peugeot les impitoyables le taster
Best: Wine-tasting glass
Height: 10.5cm
Capacity: 380ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Ideal for wine connoisseurs
- Provides an intense drinking experience
Take note
- Expensive
Here’s a wine glass that’s different to any of the others in this roundup. The clue is in the name: les impitoyables (the merciless). In other words, it’s a tasting glass that’s designed to pick out any of the flaws or indeed qualities of the wine you’re drinking.
As such, this specially designed handmade glass has cavities at the side and bottom, which enable the drinker to hold it with thumb and finger, without warming the contents. As a result, the full nature and aroma of the wine are revealed. It may be pricey, but this is a real connoisseur’s glass.
Buy now £42.99, Peugeot-saveurs.com
CellarDine 320ml recycled glass wine glass
Best: Recycled wine glass
Height: 17cm
Capacity: 320ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Reduced landfill
- Great price
Take note
- No two glasses are exactly the same
In this age of recycling, using old glass to make something new gets a big thumbs up, as it helps reduce the amount of glass going to landfill.
In this case, the result is a handsome-looking glass with a sturdy stem and ample bowl, complete with the odd air bubble or two, giving each glass individual appeal. Even better, the design is very reasonably priced, too.
Buy now £5.00, Dexam.co.uk
Denby contemporary smoked grey wine glass, set of two
Best: Smoked wine glasses
Height: 21cm
Capacity: 460ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Delicate shading
- Imposing shape
Take note
- Some may find it detracts from the wine’s full colour
Some wine buffs may complain that smoked glass doesn’t reveal the full glory of a wine’s hue – vintage or otherwise. But then the smoky, charcoal-like shading at the base of a generous bowl does give these Denby glasses a distinctive and overwhelmingly attractive look.
However, with a generous pour of wine, there’s enough clear glass to judge the vino’s colour, and I certainly enjoyed drinking out of this style during testing.
Buy now £20.00, Hartsofstur.com
Mary Berry clear signature white wine glasses, set of four
Best: White wine glasses
Height: 14cm
Capacity: 200ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Sturdy but stylish
- Generous bowl
Take note
- Short stemmed
Many of us will associate Mary Berry with a perfect Victoria sponge (sans soggy bottom) rather than wine glasses, but this is a surprisingly terrific set, worthy of any dining table.
Sturdy and robust, the glasses feature thick stems and a very generous bowl. It’s hard to knock these over, but some people might find it tricky to hold these glasses by the stem because of their squat design. That being said, swirl some white wine in the large bowl, and you should get a noseful of aroma.
Buy now £44.00, Next.co.uk
Bodum skål double wall tumbler pinot, set of two
Best: Tumbler wine glass
Height: 10.5cm
Capacity: 500ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Double-wall design helps keeps wine cool
Take note
- Large and quite a handful
Fancy going stemless? This pair of generous-sized tumblers, named after the Danish word for ‘cheers’, are double walled. That means they’re two glasses in one, a little like a vacuum flask. There’s a hydrophobic silicone vent on the bottom to equalise the air pressure between the two layers of glass.
In layman’s terms, that means that anything cold poured into the glass remains cool for longer, and anything hot won’t burn your fingertips. They don’t have a stem, so you’re less likely to knock these over, and they’re easy to fit in a dishwasher.
The tumbler design might not be for everyone, but it offers a modern take on the humble wine glass and will work for other tipples too. Just keep in mind these glasses are on the large side, making them quite a handful.
Buy now £49.90, Bodum.com
Ferm Living classic ripple champagne saucers, set of two
Best: Champagne glasses
Height: 11cm
Capacity: 150ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Handblown
- Vintage shape
Take note
- Some may prefer champagne flutes
This is where I go against the accepted rules. It’s said that champagne should be served in glasses that are tulip-shaped, to allow for optimal enjoyment of the aroma and bouquet. Well, rules are there to be challenged if not broken, and this is a champagne saucer that harks back to the days when wide-bowled glasses were de rigueur among the Parisian elite.
Handblown into a mould, these coupes are delicate and stylish with a lightly rippled surface that provides a beautiful frame for sparkling bubbly. Tasting from them almost makes you feel as if you’ve moved back a century or so and are ready for a night at the Folies Bergère.
Buy now £39.00, Fermliving.co.uk
Yvonne Ellen bee wine glass
Best: Quirky wine glasses
Height: 12.5cm
Capacity: 400ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Why we love it
- Attractive pattern
- Cheeky slogan
Take note
- Handwash only
‘Quirky’ is perhaps the word for designer Yvonne Ellen’s growing range of home and giftware items, on which slogans and nifty little designs abound. One of her trademark illustrations is the bumblebee, with these glasses featuring a lifelike representation, plus a fan pattern design and “liquid therapy” slogan.
Drinking-wise, it has a generous bowl suitable for both red and white wines, and the gold-tipped rim is thin enough to help savour that first sip. The decorations do mean that it’s handwash only, though.
Buy now £16.00, Yvonneellen.com
Cath Kidston red feels like home wine glasses, set of four
Best: Decorated wine glass
Height: 26cm
Capacity: 430ml
Dishwasher safe: No
Why we love it
- Matching tableware available
- Attractive pattern
Take note
- May be too fussy for some
Here’s another embellished design, with this set of four glasses featuring Cath Kidston’s Hampstead rose pattern. With matching tableware available, it has to be admitted that these glasses do look very attractive, with hand-painted scarlet rims providing an eye-catching feature.
However, it isn’t just style over substance. This glass is also well-suited to wine connoisseurs. The stem is not too narrow, the rim is nice and thin, and the well-shaped bowl can cater for red or white wines.
Buy now £32.00, Next.co.uk
What are the best wine glasses?
There are glasses for every taste and every occasion. Wine enthusiasts will enjoy the Peugeot les impitoyables wine-tasting glass and the Mary Berry white wine glasses. Those looking for style and elegance may wish to plump for the Denby contemporary smoked grey glasses. However, the best wine glasses overall are the Krosno avant garde large red wine glasses, which combine a wine-friendly feel with distinctive looks and durability.
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