RCR Invino

The choice starts with the opening of the bowl. The 38 cl glass has a narrower bowl and keeps crisp white wine together. At 45 and 56 cl you get the room red wine needs to take in air: filling it to a third is enough. The 65 cl glass and the 66 cl Grand Cuvee are meant for wines with more body.

Beyond wine, the 67 cl copa is the most striking shape. That wide bowl lets the botanicals from the gin and the tonic come through, which is why the shape has become the standard for gin and tonic glasses.

Never pour a bowl past its widest point, because above that the aroma escapes past your face instead of into the glass. For white wine that is about a quarter, for red wine a third. Young, firm red wine gains from twenty to thirty minutes in the decanter; old wine does not, and should be poured over carefully to leave the sediment behind. The 35 cl martini glass has plenty of room for an espresso martini with a foam layer.

Lead-free crystal glass is clearer and thinner than ordinary glass, and that has two consequences. The rim is more vulnerable, and limescale shows up sooner. So wash on a short glassware programme, rinse with soft water and dry with a lint-free cloth while the glass is still lukewarm. Store the glasses upright in the cupboard with the rim up and do not let the stems touch, because that is where most breakage starts.

If you would first like to see what else the brand makes, the full selection is under RCR. If you search by shape rather than by series, have a look at the red wine glasses or at the decanters. And if you want to get going with the 67 cl copa, that starts with the ratio of the gin and tonic.