From the finest and most expensive crystal to the least expensive glassware options on the market, most people have an expectation of drinking wine from wine glasses with a stem. However, stemless wine glasses have gained broad popularity in the American market. As with stemmed drinkware, the stemless variety can be found in a price range suitable to everyone, from $1 USD to $70 USD. Even many wine shops, most of whom would not have dared to serve wine in stemless wine glasses in the past, have embraced their use. So, what is this mysterious glass, and what is its sudden popularity all about?
Stemless wine glasses are exactly that: wine glasses without stems. They are usually no different in design than the stemmed glass, retaining the same shape as traditional wine glasses. For those who understand or care about the proper glass with the proper wine, the stemless glass can be purchased in the style suitable for both red and white wine varieties. As is also the case with other wine glasses, they are available in all qualities, from inexpensive glassware to fine crystal.
Despite the current popularity of stemless wine glasses, this is not an entirely new style of drinkware. While the popularity of the stemless wine glasses in the American market is new, the concept of stemless glassware has been in European countries for a very long time. Order a glass of wine in a restaurant in Italy, and it is most likely your wine will come served in a stemless wine glass, or tumbler.
Stemless wine glasses are more than just glasses without stems--they also come with benefits. Most people have experienced the anxiety of breaking a wine glass because it was accidentally knocked over. Not so with a stemless glass. Even if a person manages to knock it over, it probably won't break, given the short distance it has to fall. Another benefit: stemless glasses fit into dishwashers and kitchen cupboards with ease, making them quite convenient as far as storage and cleaning go.
Regardless of a person's budget, preference, or stance on stems or no stems, the stemless wine glass appears to have its place in both the traditional and contemporary markets around the world.