How To Store Wine Glasses

Wine glasses are just as important as the wine itself. Along with selecting the right wine glasses, learning proper wine glass storage and care ensures your glassware lasts a lifetime. Every wine lover needs at least a few different wine glasses, and it's easy to build up quite a collection. Here's how to store your wine glasses properly.

Why Wine Glass Storage Matters

Wine glasses can make a good wine taste extraordinary, although they might not be able to do much for a lousy one. Still, what’s most important is taking care of your wine glasses, whether they’re large or small, expensive or not. 

Perhaps you think the best way to store wine glasses is in a cabinet and forget about them, but there’s a bit more to wine storage than that. Wine glasses are delicate, and they can be expensive‚ so taking care of your glassware is key to making sure it lasts.

Below are the best ways to store wine glasses, plus tips and tricks to store wine glasses long-term and keep them safe for future enjoyment.

What’s the Best Way to Store Wine Glasses? 

Some choose to store them upright while others choose upside down, but here’s the truth: it depends. If you store your wine glasses in an enclosed cabinet away from dust particles, you can certainly keep them upward. If the wine glasses are exposed to dust, store them upside down. If they hang from a rack, even better.

Other than that, ensure you take good care of your glassware. Wash and dry your glasses after every use. Leftover wine can and will stain your wine glasses and trying to remove stubborn stains can result in scratches. Remember to polish your wine glasses as needed, too!

Pro tip: Don’t store your wine glasses in the kitchen, as the glasses’ bowls hold aromas. They’ll capture the most pungent scents, and you’ll need to wash them before using them—not exactly ideal. 

Long-Term Wine Glass Storage

Here's the best way to store wine glasses for long-term periods. Gently wrap them in film and cover them with newspaper or similar. Then, arrange and pack the glasses neatly in a box and store them somewhere safe. The plastic film is important, as paper can temporarily taint your glasses with its unique scent. 

If you have storage space and know that you’ll store your wine glasses for long periods, don’t discard their original boxes. Placement in their original boxes is the safest way to keep them in optimum condition and prevent damage. If you plan to travel with your glassware, investing in a protective wine glass travel case is well worth it! 

Wine glasses are best stored where everyone can see them, as they are, without a doubt, beautiful pieces to admire. Still, if you don’t have an enclosed cabinet and don’t use all your wine glasses often, storing them in a wardrobe or your attic might be your safest bet. Wine glasses are meant to be enjoyed, but there’s nothing wrong with having a few extra ones hidden somewhere. 

How to Store Wine Glasses in a Cabinet

Tall vs. Short

Tall wine glasses might not fit in average cabinets, so using custom furniture for them is not uncommon. Luckily, most commercial wine glasses fit any wine cabinet. 

Stem vs. Stemless 

Stemless wine glasses are in vogue; there’s nothing wrong with them, primarily if you use them in casual tastings. Store stemless glassware in your kitchen cabinet with the rest of your stemless glasses, unless, of course, you still have space for them in your wine glass cabinet. 

Crystal vs. Glass 

When it comes to quality wine glasses, whether they are made of crystal vs glass matters. However, there’s not much difference between glass and crystal wine glasses when it comes to storage.

Glass is more fragile than crystal, so the wine glasses are thicker. Crystal wine glasses are usually paper-thin, and although sturdy, they can break if you’re not careful. 

What’s the best way to store wine glasses? That’s up to you! We all have different needs! As long as you take care of your glassware just like you protect your wine, you’ll be fine.