Luigi Bormioli

Start with the drink, not the series. For wine, the bowl capacities from 35 to 70 cl are the key factor: a larger bowl lets red wine breathe, while a narrower one keeps white wine cool for longer. For gin and tonic, the brand makes notably generous balloon glasses ranging from 65 to 80 cl, with enough room for ice, tonic, and garnish without the drink spilling over the rim.

For the bar, tumblers are the core. A double old fashioned glass of around 36 cl is the classic size for whisky with a large ice cube, while a highball of 37.5 cl or more is intended for long drinks. If you want to carry one series across the entire table, look for series that include both wine glasses and tumblers, flutes, and coupes. Speakeasies Swing and Bach are the most complete in this regard. For decanters, pay attention to the stopper: an airtight stopper keeps liqueurs and spirits tasting fresh.

The Italian sequence is a pleasant guide. The evening begins with the aperitivo in a tumbler or a large balloon glass, with a gin and tonic where you pour the tonic down the side so the carbonation stays in. With the meal come the wine glasses, filled to the widest point of the bowl and no higher.

After dinner, the glass is smaller and the aroma more important. A port glass of around 19 cl or a liqueur glass of approximately 23 cl gives an amaro or grappa just enough room. An espresso martini belongs in a small, chilled cocktail glass that has been pre-cooled, such as the 17 cl Nick and Nora. For an old fashioned you use the heavy tumbler with a thick base, in which you can press the sugar cube and fit one large ice cube. The double-walled coffee glassware from the Thermic Glass series also belongs in this part of the evening: the double wall keeps a latte macchiato or an Irish coffee warm without making the glass too hot to hold.

The crystal glass of this house is lead-free and developed specifically not to cloud over in the dishwasher. That is exactly where ordinary crystal glass falls short: after a year of washing it turns milky and never regains its shine. So these glasses can simply go in the machine, including a commercial glasswasher.

The stems are drawn from a single piece rather than attached, which turns the weakest point of a bowl into its strongest. Rims are laser-finished, so thin and smooth without a thickened bead. Do treat that rim as the most vulnerable part: don't stack the glasses inside one another and stand them upright in the rack rather than on their rim.

If you're looking for sturdier, everyday Italian glassware from the same city, you'll find it at Bormioli Rocco, another house with its own collection. For the generous balloon-shaped models, look under gin and tonic glasses, and anyone wanting to complete the tableware selection will find matching serving jugs and decanters under carafes . If you prefer a broad overview by wine style rather than by brand, it's better to start with wine glasses, where the bowls from all the houses are displayed side by side so you can compare them by shape and capacity.