Port glasses

Size is the first decision. The glasses in this collection run from 8 to 25 cl, and that spread comes from two different uses. A bowl of 13 to 15 cl, such as the Lehmann Grand Reserve or the Royal Leerdam Bouquet, is the classic size for a pour of around 7 cl: the glass then sits just under half full and there is room left over for the aroma. Roomier models of 19 to 25 cl, found at Spiegelau, Schott Zwiesel and RIEDEL, are meant for vintage port and old tawny, where more air makes the difference.

Look at the rim as well. A rim that curves inwards gathers the aromas, which is pleasant with sweet port. A straight, wider rim such as on the Onis N.Y.C. lets the alcohol lift away faster and works better with white port served chilled.

The stem should be long enough to hold without touching the bowl, certainly with white port and port tonic.

Pour about 7 cl, no more. Serve red port and tawny slightly below room temperature, around sixteen degrees. Drink white and rosé port cold, around eight degrees, often topped up with tonic and ice in a larger glass. A vintage you have decanted should be poured gently down the side of the glass, so the sediment stays behind in the decanter.

An opened bottle of tawny or ruby keeps for several weeks in the fridge, a vintage considerably less. That is a good reason to pour by the glass rather than putting the bottle on the table.

Port goes with blue cheese, walnuts and dark chocolate, and in winter with warm mixed drinks too. The Christmas cocktails page has several recipes built on port, and the overview of cocktail recipes shows which glass belongs with which mix.

Most port glasses here are lead-free crystal glass. That material can be drawn thin, which makes the rim finer and lets the wine run better, but it does need attention in the dishwasher. Stand the glasses clear of one another and use a short programme at no more than sixty degrees, and they stay clear.

Models from Pasabahce and Royal Leerdam are made of tempered or soda-lime glass and are noticeably more robust, which suits the trade, where a lot of glasses go through the machine in an evening.

A white film after washing is usually limescale, not wear. A dash of cleaning vinegar in lukewarm water dissolves it. Dry with a linen cloth afterwards and hold the glass by the bowl as you do, not by the stem.

If you are looking for something for sherry, the sherry glasses are a more logical size, and for limoncello and other digestifs have a look at the liqueur glasses. Anyone serving port by the glass in a restaurant often needs tasting glasses as well, because that size sits close to it. For decanting a vintage you will find suitable models under carafes. And if you want a name, year or company logo added, for a wine house for instance, that is possible via glass printing.