Wine is one of the few beverages that offers a multi-sensory experience — every bottle of wine is an adventure. Still, to unlock the wine’s potential, one must enjoy it with the proper stemware. Even the most complex and sophisticated fine wine will disappoint if served in a red plastic cup. 

There’s a reason artisan stemware companies such as Grassl Wine Glass strive to perfect glassware — nice wine glasses make the difference. The question is, how much should you spend on wine glasses? Let’s talk about the best wine glasses, the cost of wine glasses, and how to buy wine glasses online, depending on your needs. Stemware comes at different price points, so how to choose?

Different Price Points Match Different Qualities

Stemware producers can make wine glasses with varied materials and use distinct production techniques to achieve different results. Sounds familiar? In that aspect, making wine glasses is not dissimilar to making wine. Just like there’s inexpensive wine for casual drinking, there’s fine wine worthy of the most memorable occasions — the same goes for wine glasses.

And like the wine business, the stemware market is fair — you get what you pay for. Although you can expect high-end brands to charge a premium for their prestige, think of the Zalto wine glasses’ price; for example, pricier wine glasses are always of better quality than inexpensive ones. So why the price difference? Let’s talk about the types of wine glasses and their uses. 

Variety of Wine Glasses

We can easily classify stemware into several categories depending on its intended use and price. Everyday-use wine glasses, often generic and sold as “all-purpose glasses,” are rarely made with high-quality materials. In this case, crystal — instead, they’re made with glass. The production method varies too. Then we have medium-range stemware and high-end pieces. 

Every-Day

Every-day wine glasses are made in a factory by machines, most probably overseas. Operations like these can make thousands of wine glasses every day! This is the type of stemware that casual restaurants and catering companies often use. They’ll rarely disappoint, but they won’t impress either. Expect to pay up to 20 dollars for a set of economical wine glasses. 

Medium-Range

Medium-range wine glasses are often an excellent value. These might be made with leaded or unleaded crystal, but they’re still made automatically in nameless factories. 

These above-average wine glasses will be shinier, thinner, and more transparent than economical ones made of glass. They might be okay for inexperienced wine drinkers and restaurants that are not particularly wine oriented. If cheap wine glasses are the equivalent of wine-in-a-box, medium-range wine glasses are a California Merlot. Not bad, but not great either. 

For the category, expect to pay around 10 dollars per wine glass. Most wine drinkers will have a couple of these wine glasses at home, especially if they entertain often. Still, for an authentic culinary experience, we must go one step further into fine stemware. 

High-End

High-end wine glasses are often stunning. They’re also made artisanally by expert craftsmen, and finding hand-blown stemware is not uncommon for the category. 

The design is as vital for high-end wine glasses as the material — these pieces are made to enhance your wine-tasting experience. Although an expensive wine glass will never make a lousy wine taste good, it will make average wines taste great.

High-end stemware is ideal for formal events. This is the type of wine glass you’ll find in fine-dining restaurants, and wine enthusiasts worldwide will have more than a few of these art pieces. 

For fine wine, premium wine glasses are necessary — they’re the means to allow the wine to show its best. Grassl Wine Glass and Zalto are good alternatives but expect to pay between eighty and two hundred dollars for a set of these hand-crafted pieces. 

Is It Worth Buying Expensive Wine Glasses?

Now that we’ve covered the essential wine glass categories in terms of price and quality, let’s answer the most pressing question. Is it worth buying expensive wine glasses?

If you’re not a wine drinker and are not interested in fine wine, then no. Of course, if you are reading this, chances are you are a wine enthusiast, meaning you want to make the most out of every bottle you get your hands on. In this case, expensive wine glasses will utterly enhance your wine experience. 

High-end wine glasses are an investment, perhaps not the kind that makes you money, but the one that keeps paying dividends every time you pour yourself a glass of wine.

Invest in a Grassl Wine Glass

The best thing about fine stemware is that there’s a style for every occasion. Not all wine glasses are created equal and collecting them is more than good practice; it’s a hobby. You’ll never forget the first time you unbox your first set of high-end stemware. 

If you are ready to take the next step, buy wine glasses online through a reputable merchant and have your delicate new art pieces safely delivered to your doorstep. And if you already own a few nice wine glasses, it’s time to browse for new additions to your collection. There’s a glass for every type of wine — make wine even more exciting!