NUDE Glass Pure

The two wine glasses differ not in luxury but in shape, and that difference decides what you taste. The 61 cl Bordeaux glass is taller and narrower, so a firm red wine with plenty of tannin reaches the sides of the tongue and feels less sharp. The 71 cl Bourgogne glass has a wide belly that narrows towards the top, gathering the aroma of a lighter grape such as pinot noir or nebbiolo before it reaches your nose. Both belong with the large wine glasses and ask to be filled no more than a third. Beside them stands an 8 cl grappa glass for after dinner.

Pour gently into the Bourgogne glass and swirl briefly afterwards, because a wide belly releases the aroma quickly. A young wine with plenty of tannin is better left to breathe for a while in a decanter before it goes into the Bordeaux glass. Incidentally, the same bowls work well for drinks you would normally serve in a garden glass: a Sangria full of fruit needs room, and a Limoncello Spritz with ice shows better in a wide bowl than in a flute. Fill the grappa glass to about halfway.

The wall is thin and you notice that when washing up. Lead-free crystal is clear and stays that way, but a thin rim does not survive a knock against the tap or another glass. The bowls can go in the dishwasher if they stand apart in a rack for long stems, though at this wall thickness hand washing remains the safest route. Use lukewarm water without any aggressive detergent and dry with a linen cloth, supporting the bowl rather than twisting it round on the stem.

More models from the same design team are at NUDE Glass, including series with a heavier foot and stemless models. If wine is left over, a wine stopper seals the bottle better than the cork that just came out of it. And if you want a glass that can go in the dishwasher every day without a second thought, a thick-walled series is a wiser choice than this one.