Glassware

Wine Glass

A wine glass is a stemmed glass with a tulip-shaped bowl, 43 to 56cl in Urban Bar’s listings, with larger ones holding 600ml or more. Behind a bar it takes wine and the drinks built on it: spritzes over ice, the Kir, Sangria, the Sherry Cobbler and the Pisco Punch. For spritzes, which take a full load of ice, choose a large one of 500ml or more.

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A clear wine glass with a tulip-shaped bowl that narrows at the rim, on a slender stem and a round foot.

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Essential Equipment

Recommended for every home bar

The tool

About the Wine Glass

A Bowl That Holds Ice and Aroma

A wine glass has a rounded bowl that narrows a little at the rim, on a stem. For wine, the bowl gives room to swirl and gathers the aroma where your nose meets the glass.

For a spritz the same bowl is packed with ice and the drink poured over it, and the narrowing rim keeps the smell of orange and wine close.

Wine glass, copa and champagne flute compared (capacities from Urban Bar’s listings)

Wine glass

Typical size: 43 to 56cl (Urban Bar); our guidance for a spritz is 500 to 600ml
Shape: Tulip bowl on a stem
Our drinks in it: Aperol Spritz, Kir, Sangria, Sherry Cobbler, Pisco Punch

Copa

Typical size: 60 to 65cl (Urban Bar)
Shape: Round balloon bowl on a long stem
Our drinks in it: Spritzes and gin and tonics over ice

Champagne flute

Typical size: 19 to 21cl (Urban Bar)
Shape: Tall, narrow bowl on a thin stem
Our drinks in it: Sparkling wine and drinks topped with it

Glass	Typical size	Shape	Our drinks in it
Wine glass	43 to 56cl (Urban Bar); our guidance for a spritz is 500 to 600ml	Tulip bowl on a stem	Aperol Spritz, Kir, Sangria, Sherry Cobbler, Pisco Punch
Copa	60 to 65cl (Urban Bar)	Round balloon bowl on a long stem	Spritzes and gin and tonics over ice
Champagne flute	19 to 21cl (Urban Bar)	Tall, narrow bowl on a thin stem	Sparkling wine and drinks topped with it

Size It to the Ice

Our Aperol Spritz is 180ml over a glass full of ice, and the Vodka and Blood Orange Spritz is 250ml. With their ice, both need a large glass. A 350ml wine glass suits a Kir, 100ml served chilled with no ice.

Fill your glass from a measuring jug once to learn its size. A glass of about 500ml holds 180ml and its ice; 250ml with ice wants nearer 600ml.

Most Wine-Glass Drinks Are Built in the Glass

Spritzes are built straight into the glass: ice first, then the wine or soda and the spirit or liqueur, then a single gentle stir or lift. The order varies by recipe; the Aperol Spritz goes prosecco, Aperol, then soda.

Two of them take no ice in the glass at all. The Kir is poured into a chilled glass, and the Pisco Punch is shaken, double strained into the glass and finished with white wine stirred in.

Rinse Well to Keep the Fizz

Wash in hot water with a little detergent and rinse well in clean hot water. Detergent left on the glass can knock the bubbles out of a spritz.

Dry and polish while the glass is warm, holding the bowl rather than the foot, so the stem is not twisted.

Using it

Using the Wine Glass

Usage

Wine, and drinks built on wine or long sparkling mixers: the Aperol Spritz and other spritzes over ice, the Kir with no ice, Sangria over ice, a Sherry Cobbler on crushed ice and a Pisco Punch with no ice. For wine, fill it to about a third; for a spritz, fill it with ice first.

Pro Tip

For an Aperol Spritz, fill the glass with ice, pour the prosecco before the Aperol and finish with soda poured gently down the side. Keep every bottle cold, so the ice lasts.

Professional Tips

For a spritz, fill the glass with ice before anything else goes in.
Chill the glass for a Kir, which is served with no ice.
Hold it by the stem when the drink is meant to stay cold.
For wine, pour to about a third of the bowl, so there is room to swirl.

Alternatives

Budget Alternative

A plain, sturdy stemmed glass of about 500ml from a catering or homeware shop. It serves wine and most of our wine-glass drinks.

Premium Option

Thin, lead-free crystal with a fine rim. It is lighter in the hand and pleasant to drink from; the drink inside is the same.

Specifications

Material
Glass or lead-free crystal
Capacity
43 to 56cl in Urban Bar’s listings; our guidance for a spritz is 500 to 600ml or more
Details
Tulip-shaped bowl that narrows at the rim, on a long stem and a flat foot

Go further

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Common Questions

What size wine glass do you need for a spritz?

A large one, around 500 to 600ml by our guidance; Urban Bar’s largest is 56cl. Our Aperol Spritz is 180ml of prosecco, Aperol and soda poured over a glass full of ice, and the ice takes up much of the bowl. In a 350ml glass there is no room for both.

Which cocktails are served in a wine glass?

In our recipes: the Aperol Spritz and other spritzes over ice, the Kir, chilled and with no ice, Sangria over ice, the Sherry Cobbler on crushed ice and the Pisco Punch with no ice. Each uses the bowl to hold ice, aroma or both.

How full should a wine glass be?

For wine, about a third, so it can be swirled and the aroma gathers in the bowl. For a spritz, fill the glass with ice first and pour the drink over it to just short of the rim.

Can I use a wine glass instead of a copa glass?

Yes, if it is large enough. A copa is a rounder, wider bowl, 60 to 65cl in Urban Bar’s listings, made for gin and tonics and spritzes over ice; a large wine glass works as well, with a little less room for the ice.

Why serve a spritz in a wine glass rather than a highball?

The wider bowl takes more ice and holds the scent of orange and wine at the rim, and you hold the stem, not the drink. A highball will do, though the smell of the fruit is weaker.

Should wine glasses go in the dishwasher?

Plenty can; the maker's guidance says which. Thin crystal and tall stems last longer washed by hand, and a thorough rinse matters either way: a film of detergent on the glass knocks the bubbles out of anything sparkling.

Stemmed or stemless wine glasses for cocktails?

Stemmed, for anything served cold. Fingers on the stem leave the bowl cold, which matters most for a Kir, served with no ice to keep it cold. Stemless glasses are easier to store and to wash.