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Wine Goblets for A Fantastic Dinner Service

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Wine goblets of all shapes, sizes, and materials have been used for hundreds of years. The oldest European wine glasses with the traditional stem and foot were enamelled and date from the 15th century. The end of the 1500s in Germany saw wine being drunk from decorated covered glasses. The oldest glasses from Great Britain had engraved stems. These were later replaced by plainer stems, and then by twisted stems.

High quality crystal wine glasses were used in France in the late 1700s. Throughout the ages wine glasses made from all kinds of different materials from pewter to gold have been used. Choosing what kind of wine goblets, or glasses, or stemware, however you to choose to refer to them, should show off the best aspects of the wine you are serving and also reflect your taste. Officially, a goblet is any wine glass than can hold more than four ounces of liquid.

The shape, size and color of a wine goblet can clearly affect the view of the wine that is served in it. Luckily, there are really no "rules" about serving wine: no correct way to serve it and no official sizes or shapes, shapes or colors of wine glasses. Use common sense and a sense of flair to choose how you serve wine. Often people will also serve water at a dinner party in glasses that look like wine glasses, but they are usually larger.

In the early 19th century, wine glasses began to be produced in sets. By the 1950s, manufacturers began to make stemware a different size and shape for just about every type of wine. Part of the allure of wine is not just the taste and smell, but the presentation. A true wine lover wants to see the "legs" of the wine as the wine is swirled in the wine goblet. The swirling also is the best way to display the "nose" of a fine wine. All things are considered when choosing just what glass would be perfect for the wine being served. A somewhat large glass is best used for wine at dinner. Wine goblets that have wide bowls are perfect for showing off the bouquet of bold red wines. Smaller, narrow glasses are used to collect the delicate nose of light white wines. The best way to show off the bubbles in a glass of champagne is in tall flutes, which channel the bubbles up the glass and keep the fizz going for longer than in open mouthed glasses.

Not everyone can afford a different set of goblets for each wine. Cabinet space can also be an issue. To simplify things, you might want to choose and goblets that are more all-purpose. The California Wine Institute has designed the perfect all-purpose wine glass that is about 5 inches tall and has a tulip-shaped bowl that can hole about eight ounces of wine: the perfect goblet for every wine