Pros & Cons of Stemless Glassware

Stemless glassware has been around for some time now, and now that the hype is over, we can analyze the category with a cool head. Is stemless glassware worth it? Are stemless wine glasses as good as their stemmed counterparts? Are stemless wine glasses suited for wine-tasting scenarios? Let’s find out.

Let’s start by saying there is no such thing as a lousy wine glass; they’re all best suited for different occasions. Just like there’s everyday wine and fine wine, there is inexpensive glassware and fine crystal wine glasses. So, should you get stemless glassware? Read on to find out whether stemless wine glasses are right for you.

What is Stemless Glassware?

Stemless glassware might be trending, but it’s been around for a long time. We have used wine tumblers and other stemless glassware for decades, if not centuries, not only to drink wine but water.

Cunning marketing re-branded the handy, reliable, but otherwise uninteresting tumblers as an alternative to the stemmed wine glass. Glassware makers capitalized on the trend and created thin, crystal tumblers with the shape of wine glasses, which the market embraced, in part, to challenge the perceived stiffness of the wine world.

Today, stemless wine glasses are part of any wine conversation; traditionalist wine enthusiasts and amateurs alike have embraced them, and the world of wine is not as stiff and uptight as it once was! Once seen as an alternative to finer stemmed glassware, today we all agree there’s a place for stemless glassware on the table, even if they will never substitute high-end hand-blown wine glasses, especially in wine-tasting scenarios.

Pros of Stemless Glassware

Stemless glasses are easy to store, carry around and ship since they’re less delicate than stemmed glassware. This is convenient for restaurants, large catering companies, and even casual wine drinkers with limited storage space.

Stemless wine glasses are also a good alternative for casual get-togethers, like when drinking wine on the porch or in the backyard. And since stemless wine glasses are rarely as expensive as stemmed wine glasses, it’s no big deal if they chip or break.

Stemless wine glasses also have a place on the table, but not if you are pouring fine wine. Sadly, stemless glassware is not the best way to enjoy complex wine.

Cons of Stemless Glassware

A stemless wine glass might be identical to a stemmed wine glass bowl, with the noticeable difference of having no stem. The thing is, stems exist for a reason.
By holding a wine glass by the stem, the drinker prevents the wine from getting too warm. Warm wine is too alcoholic on the nose and not very friendly on the palate. Also, holding a wine glass by the stem prevents fingerprints, stains and smudges.

Finally, swirling wine in a stemless wine glass is more challenging than in tall stemware, and swirling makes all the difference when wine tasting.

Make the Most of Your Stemless Glassware

There’s no doubt stemless glassware is here to stay, and that’s a good thing. After all, stemless wine glasses and stemmed glassware serve different purposes, and it is wise to have both options available at home.

If you want to minimize the cons of using stemless glassware at casual wine parties, follow these tips:

• Ensure you set your glass on the table while not drinking to prevent leaving too many fingerprints on the bowl.
• Aerate or decant the wine before serving to reduce the need for swirling.
• Serve red wine when possible, leaving those wine styles best enjoyed at colder temperatures for different glassware.
• Know when to use stemless glassware and when to bring out your beautiful stemmed wine glasses.