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If you drink wine, you probably have a cupboard full of different types of stemware, and maybe even a decanter or two.
Your glassware goes hand in hand with your wine collection, but do you know where it should be stored? Should your glassware be displayed with pride, or hidden in the back of the kitchen cupboards?
If you’re wondering where you should be storing your glassware for your wine, then we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn more about glassware and how you should store it.
Different Types of Wine Glasses
Before we discuss how you can store your glassware in the best possible way, let’s talk a little about the different types of wine glasses you can find for red wine, white wine, and sparkling wine.
First of all, you can find two main types of wine glasses - glasses with a stem, and glasses without. Stemless glasses are becoming more and more popular, and replicate the shapes of your standard wine glasses (minus the stem, of course).
Pinot Noir and Burgundy wine glasses are designed to hold Pinot Noir and other delicate reds and are easily interchangeable. They have a wide bowl that allows oxygen into the wine, which improves the flavours and aromas of the wine.
Bordeaux glasses are designed to hold heavier and fuller-bodied reds such as Malbec, Bordeaux, and Cabernet Sauvignon. They’re taller glasses that creates distance between the wine and your palate, allowing more oxygen into the wine and allowing you to smell the aromas before tasting. Cabernet Sauvignon glasses are similar, but not as tall.
Your standard red wine glass is designed to hold medium to full-bodied reds. They have a smaller opening, which works to soften the rich flavours.
White wines are best served in different glasses from red wines. Sauvignon Blanc glasses serve Sauvignon Blanc and similar wines perfectly. They have a slender bowl that captures the aromas of fruity and floral wines. You can also drink white Bordeaux, Pinot Grigio and Muscat Blanc in this type of wine glass.
Chardonnay wine glasses have a large opening that allows your palate to note the sweetness of the wine. You can drink Chardonnay and other fuller-bodied whites out of this type of wine glass.
Sherry wine glasses come in a smaller size, which is perfect for drinking dessert wines (as they’re usually more alcoholic than other wines).
When it comes to sparkling wines, you should use either flute wine glasses or tulip wine glasses. Flute glasses bead at the bottom which prevents bubbles from gathering, and the bowl allows your palette to perfectly capture the flavours. Tulip glasses are similar - they have a slim base that widens and then narrows at the top. This prevents the ‘fizz’ from escaping, allowing you to enjoy your entire sparkling wine experience.
How Do I Store Wine Glassware?
When it comes to storing your wine glassware, you have a multitude of options. Most people will store their wine glasses on a shelf on a wine wall, on top of a wine rack, in a wine cooler with a glass door, or simply in their kitchen cupboards.
Use a Wine Wall
A wine wall is one of the best ways that you can store your wine, as well as your wine accessories such as stemware and decanters.
Wine walls are usually modular systems of different cabinets. This allows you to customise your wine wall to make the perfect storage space for your wine collection and glassware. Wine walls are the ultimate way of storing not only your wine bottles but your glasses and wine decanters too.
You’re supposed to install wine walls against a solid wall - however, you can find wine walls that give you a 360-degree view of your collection. These are usually used in commercial spaces such as bars and restaurants, and they have sliding glass doors at the front and rear.
You can find wine walls that feature charcoal filters and noise reduction systems to optimise your wine storage. The glass panels found on wine walls are UV-treated, ensuring that your wine collection is protected from UV light.
To fully optimise your glassware storage, opt for a wine wall with LED lighting. This allows you to show off your favourite wine glasses amongst your most expensive wine bottles.
Store Your Glasses The Right Way Up
Although many people prefer to store their wine glasses upside down, the best way to store your wine is actually the rim-side up. This is the best way of preventing damage, as too much weight on the rim of the glass can cause the glass to crack or smash.
The rim is the most fragile part of the glass and should be protected. This is the part of the glass where most cracks and chips begin - and once a glass chips or cracks, you should throw it away. After all, you don’t want to serve guests shards of glass, do you?
However, cheap wine glasses can often be stored with the bowl facing down - as cheaper glasses tend to have thicker rims than more expensive wine glasses.
Rotate Your Glasses
If you have favourite wine glasses, it may be time to start using the ones you don’t use very often. Once you’ve washed the glasses you've been using, try placing them at the back of your storage space so you’ll be encouraged to use different glasses next time.
Be sure to check your wine glasses for dust - especially the ones that you don't use very often. It’s not uncommon for dust to accumulate on and around wine glasses that have been left at the back of your kitchen cupboard for months at a time.
If you’re worried about your glass storage, why not browse our extensive collection of Artevino wine cabinets? Artevino wine cabinets offer universal shelving for glasses as well as wine bottles - ideal if you’re wanting to keep your wine equipment in the same place as your collections.
Artevino is well-known in the industry for its quality designs and long-lasting, reliable solutions. Made with hardwearing materials, our wide range of Artevino products is perfect for both collectors and wine lovers.
Designed with efficient temperature control and a modern design, Artevino wine cabinets are some of the best systems on the market today.