Stemware
Stemware is drinkware with a bowl on a stem above a foot, so you can set the glass down easily. It’s usually glass, but can be ceramic or metal. It’s used for cool drinks like water or wine. The stem lets you hold the glass without warming the drink. Snifters are an exception; they’re designed to be held in the hand to warm the beverage.
Stemware first appeared in the Middle Ages. Before that, glass drinkware was usually a tumbler (which could tip over) or a pointed-base vessel that could be stuck into the ground or water to cool. Early stems had thick rims folded over to prevent cracking, which made the glass heavier. In England, after an 1745 tax based on vessel weight, flat bases became common to reduce weight.
Today, stemware mostly comes in three bowl sizes: large bowls for nonalcoholic drinks (and sometimes for low-alcohol drinks like beer), medium bowls for wine, and small bowls for high-alcohol drinks like aperitifs and dessert wines. Very small bowls are used for cordials and liquors. Snifters may have large bowls even though they’re for strong drinks.
The shape of the bowl can affect taste. For example, a special INA0 glass with an egg-shaped bowl, short stem, and wide foot is used for testing French wine.
Stemware includes:
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:25 (CET).