Stemless wine glasses were trendsetters from the moment they hit the market. Defying centuries of tradition, they upended traditional notions of how you smell, hold, swirl, and taste wine. Wine aficionados were, at best, perplexed, at worst, appalled. One question, however, that those who celebrated the new wine glasses and those who were unsure all had was how on earth do you toast with them?
The Good News
Contrary to how they look, you can, in fact, toast with stemless wine glasses. Even better, there’s a precursor to stemless wine glasses, most notably, different types of snifters.
Here are their benefits and why they’re safe for toasting:
Sturdier and Safer
The first and easiest reason is that without the stem, the glass is much sturdier. It’s also easier to hold. That makes it far more likely a toast will go off without a spill or drop than with traditional wine glasses or wedding toasting flutes.
Fits Better
Stemmed wine glasses can be awkward to hold because it requires the use of individual fingers. A stemless wine glass, like Riedel wine glasses, can fit in the palms of most hands, yet are still able to be enveloped by most hands, making a toast seem more like a traditional salute.
Rests Easier and More Reliably
Traditional wine glasses can be unsteady, particularly if you’re into multiple toasts. A stemless wine glass rests on its base, making it almost spill-proof, even if setting it down was kind of rough.
Slosh Control
The logistics of a stemmed wine glass make it highly likely that an errant toast of a too filled glass will send some of the libations flying. With stemless wine glasses, the toaster has more control over the body of the glass and thus, the wine inside. That reduces the propensity of wine to escape over the sides, even if the toast is robust.
Casual, but Appropriate
Stemless wine glasses are very reflective of today’s more casual approach to just about everything. Because of that, they fit in almost any setting except for the most stuffy. Even then, they’re enough of a trendsetter to be able to break norms.
Whether you’re at a wine tasting or a wedding reception, stemless wine glasses are no longer the “black sheep” of glassware. Sturdy and safe, they make it easy to toast and all but guarantee spills and tipsy glasses are a thing of the past.