Have you ever stopped to think about the shape of a wine glass? I have to admit I’ve never given it too much thought. But there is a reason for the shape and style of wine glasses. You can go down the rabbit hole of unpacking what goes into every element of the design of a wine glass, from the shape of the bowl to the length of the stem. But today we’re unpacking one of the most obvious questions: why do wine glasses have stems? Is it just to make them look fancy and more sophisticated? Or is there more to it? And are stemless glasses not as good? In this article, we’ll unpack all of this and more.
A brief history of wine glasses
It might shock you to know that wine glasses didn’t always have stems. In fact, in the Middle Ages, they drunk wine out of leather cups called “piggins“. They were so small that today’s glassware would carry 14 standard drinks!
The wine glasses we know today were first created in the 17th century to the late 18th century. The first stemmed glasses are said to have originated in Venice, the capital of glass making. The style was inspired by the shape of the chalice used for religious purposes. But it wasn’t as popular as the other cups for wine that were made from wood, leather, pewter or clay.
It wasn’t until the late 18th century that stemmed glassware gained popularity. Glass was booming and wine glasses made using glass represented status. Today, we have many different designs for wine glasses, but the stemmed wineglass prevails.
Why do wine glasses have stems?
So now that we know where stemmed wine glasses came from, why do wine glasses have stems? The stem isn’t just to make the glass look fancy. It actually serves two distinct purposes:
- Stems allow you to swirl the wine: The stem makes it easier to swirl the wine in the glass, and swirling helps to heighten the flavour and aroma of the wine
- Stems help maintain temperature: Our hands are actually one of the warmest parts of our body. If you hold the wine glass by the bowl, not the stem, you will heat the wine up. This isn’t as much of a concern with red wine, but with wines that are temperature-sensitive, it can really impact the enjoyment of your drink. It’s important to serve wine at its optimal serving temperature, and so keeping hands away from the wine itself helps to maintain this
As well as this, stemmed glasses help to keep your hands off the bowl of the glass. This prevents handprints from getting on the glass (for aesthetic reasons) but also ensures that any scents on your hands are kept away from the wine. As you smell the aromas in the wine, you won’t have any of the smells from lotions and perfumes impacting this.
What about stemless wine glasses?
So now we know the benefits of wines glasses with stems, what about stemless wine glasses? These have gained popularity in recent years, but many wine experts aren’t fans as they find them too unconventional.
Some of the benefits of stemless wine glasses are:
- They are easier to store and clean in dishwashers
- They can be sturdier and less prone to breakage
- They are more in line with casual entertaining
But some of the drawbacks are:
- You have to hold them by the bowl which means the wine heats up quicker
- It makes it harder to swirl the wine and observe how the wine looks
In summary: Why do wine glasses have stems?
So now you know why wine glasses have stems, are stemmed or stemless glasses better? Well, I’m going to leave that up to you to decide. Stemmed wine glasses have some great benefits to the experience of enjoying wine. This is important if you want to experience the wine fully. There’s a reason they are still so popular! But stemless glasses can be a great option for casual drinking, and have some great other benefits too. It comes down to what you enjoy. If you like stemless glasses – go for it! But if you like a stem, then there’s your answer. Drink out of what you love!