Consideration one

Your wine experience level

Experience and know-how play a considerable role in determining the best wine glasses for any user. With so many types of wine glasses available, selecting them can be a little overwhelming for those beginning their wine journey, so where do you start?

If you're new to wine, it can help to begin by taking a universal approach to glassware. In the early days, you're still figuring out which wines you like best, so opting for general red and white wine glassware can be a great way of accommodating a range of wines while you find your feet. This doesn't mean altogether forgoing improving the qualities of the wines you're drinking; red and white wine glasses still have some notable differences that reflect common characteristics of red and white wines. Red wine glasses have large, round bowls and wide rim diameters to aerate the wine and develop its aromas. In contrast, white wine glasses are smaller and narrower to help contain and preserve fresh, delicate aromas, making both options functional and versatile options to start your wine journey with. Glasses from our RIEDEL Ouverture and RIEDEL Wine Friendly collections are perfect entry-level wine glasses for beginner wine enthusiasts or casual wine enjoyers who want great glassware kept simple.

More experienced wine enthusiasts who have fine-tuned their wine preferences can start to focus on maximizing their wine enjoyment with varietal-specific glassware. At this stage, you've developed a clear sense of which wines you enjoy - whether it's the rich, citrussy qualities of a particular Oaked Chardonnay or the earthy, cherry notes of a Nebbiolo. While universal white wine and red wine glasses offer a good starting point, at this stage, we recommend using more precisely tailored wine glassware to make the most of your wine-drinking experiences. That's where our RIEDEL Grape Varietal Specific glassware collections come in. The glasses from these collections are precision-engineered to bring the best out of specific grape varietals, enhancing the flavors and aromas of each wine for optimal wine enjoyment. We believe that once you move on to this level of wine enjoyment, it's hard to go back.

For more information on types of wine glasses and how they interact with specific wines, be sure to check out our detailed guide on the topic. You can also access our RIEDEL Wine Glass Guide for a quick answer to what glass you need for any particular wine.

Consideration two

Your budget

We all have different budgets - what may be affordable to one person might be entirely out of the question for another. Fortunately, wine glasses are more inclusive than some people expect. They can vary considerably in price, ranging from premium handmade items to more budget-friendly machine-made items, allowing them to accommodate a variety of budgets. Our RIEDEL wine glasses can be divided into three main price point categories: handmade; premium machine-made, and regular machine-made glasses.

• With our RIEDEL handmade items, you get glassware that has been expertly and individually handcrafted by our wine-blowers at our headquarters in Tyrol, Austria. Traditionally, this method has allowed for a finer, more individual crystal product than machine-led glassmaking. It is also the most time-consuming and labor-intensive glassmaking method, so handmade glassware is unsurprisingly more costly than its machine-made counterparts.
• RIEDEL premium machine-made glassware features our various machine-made Grape Varietal Specific collections, including RIEDEL Veritas, RIEDEL Performance, RIEDEL Veloce, and more. These wine glasses deliver all the wine-specific precision engineering of their handmade counterparts but at a more affordable cost. What's more, advancements in modern glassmaking technology have seen more recent machine-made collections like RIEDEL Veloce and RIEDEL Superleggero (a collection that was handmade until 2023) close the gap considerably on their handmade counterparts in terms of glass fineness.
• Our regular machine-made glassware features the previously-mentioned RIEDEL Ouverture and RIEDEL Wine Friendly collections, but also collections that include some Grape Varietal Specific options, such as the RIEDEL Extreme and RIEDEL O Wine Tumbler collections. These are our most affordable options, providing durable, budget-friendly wine glass options that don't compromise quality. You can even enjoy machine-made decanters from these collections, so you can set up for special evenings without breaking the bank.

Ultimately, the amount you're willing to spend on glassware is a personal choice, but it's always worth remembering the variety of price points you can purchase quality glassware at.

Consideration three

Glassware flexibility requirements

Another factor that can vary between wine enthusiasts is the flexibility they need from their glasses for reasons other than their experience. These reasons can include storage space, having a variety of beverage preferences, or personal ideals like preferring a minimalist setup. For example, you might be an experienced wine lover with a healthy bank account living in a small apartment in the middle of a big city. In this instance, despite your finances and budget, you might still need to opt for flexible glassware that efficiently uses your cupboard space.

Regarding the versatility of RIEDEL wine glasses, there are a few tiers. Grape Varietal Specific wine glasses may bring the best out of specific types of wine, but they can require a lot of storage space over time due to how specific they are in their use. Universal glassware options, on the other hand, can be advantageous for anyone looking to enjoy a wide range of wines without needing a dedicated wine glass cupboard. Finally, the versatility of stemless wine glasses extends beyond wine, with these glasses also being ideal for other beverages, such as soft drinks, while still having the bowl shape to amplify your wine's characteristics.

Consideration four

Quality of the glass

We can't finish this list without mentioning glassware quality. Not all wine glasses are made equal. Even after accounting for your circumstances, the quality of the wine glass remains crucial for an enjoyable tasting experience. A glass may tick the other three boxes for your situation, but if it isn't a high-quality design and material, you won't have a good wine-drinking experience.

With RIEDEL, you get quality glassware regardless of your selected collection. While our RIEDEL Wine Friendly Collection is one of our entry-level series, these glasses still possess essential marks of quality, such as proper bowl shape and thin rims to elevate your wine's aroma and allow the wine to flow seamlessly onto your palate. All RIEDEL glassware is also made from the same quality crystal glass material that elevates the wine-drinking experience, allowing your wine to shimmer with brilliance in a clear bowl and enhancing visual and sensory enjoyment.