Stölzle Lausitz Berlin

The wine glass of 81.5 cl is the starting point of the range. A bowl like that is not meant to be filled up but to give a normal serving of wine plenty of air; you pour in about 15 cl and the rest is working space for the aroma. The long drink glasses of 49 and 52.5 cl follow the same thinking: tall, straight and roomy enough for a full mixer alongside the ice. The tumblers run from 30 through 31.5 to 50 cl, with the 30 and 31.5 cl being the classic whiskey size and the 50 cl more of a water glass. The stemmed beer glass of 39 cl keeps your hand off the beer. Everything comes in sixes.

A bowl of 81.5 cl calls for wine with enough aroma to fill that space, so a full-bodied red rather than a light white. Swirl gently and hold the glass by the stem, otherwise the wine warms up before you get to the second glass. The cocktail glass of 23 cl has a coupe shape, meant for drinks without ice that you pour chilled and in one go. That is the idea behind a Dry Martini, where temperature is half the recipe. For a Negroni you reach instead for the tumbler of 30 cl with a large block of ice in it.

This range is made of crystal glass without lead, where the lead has been replaced by other minerals. That gives the same clarity and the same thin wall, but without the drawbacks: lead-free crystal is harder, scratches less easily and is simply dishwasher safe. The surface is treated as well, which keeps the glass clear for longer with hard water. Place the large bowls separately in the rack, because the wall is thin and the bowls are wide enough to touch each other.

The other lines from this manufacturer are with Stölzle Lausitz, including several ranges with considerably smaller bowls. If you are specifically after the very largest sizes, the overview of large wine glasses is the quickest route. For a low tumbler with more weight in the base, look at the whiskey glasses, and anyone looking for the stemmed beer glass in other shapes will find them with the beer glasses.