My husband and I enjoy indulging in the occasional glass of wine after work. Of course I usually am not able to show any restraint and find myself "scaping" a setting even when its just two glasses of wine and a bowl of nuts! I like to mix up the stemware and use different cocktail napkins depending on my mood and/or time of year. Among my favorite sets of wine glasses to use would have to be my Riedel Bordeaux Crystal Wine Glasses. They are so delicate, stately and personally I think they make the wine taste even better!
Unfortunately I have found that there is a drawback to using my nice stemware…the cleaning! At the end of the night after a glass wine or two, the last thing I want to do is head over to the sink and start hand-washing glasses. Fancy glasses can be quite fragile and my husband and I have both been at fault for more glass casualties than I care to count. We even had to implement a fancy glass washing rule- If you have been drinking then you need to refrain from glass washing until morning (along the lines of don't drink and drive…don't drink and wash).
While our stemware washing rule is effective, I have also found a stemware alternative- Dishwasher Safe Wine Glasses! There are some really great wine glasses available in stores that look very high end and are actually made of glass. Unless you are holding the glass, discerning between the glass vs. crystal isn't easy to do, so why not go for glass? You can still have the same look and not have to worry about hand washing at the end of an evening. I am particularly fond of World Market's bordeaux and chardonnay glasses. I also love these Schott Zwiesel Cabernet Wine Glasses and Pure Sauvignon Blanc Wine Glasses.
Formal hosting and special occasions will always be reason enough for me to pull out my nice stemware. However, I must say that having a set of dishwasher safe wine glasses to use on a random week night is certainly something I appreciate. Above I have posted pictures of my favorite Riedel Crystal Glasses (approx. $25/glass) and the World Market glass equivalent (approx. $5.99/glass…which I also love). Can you tell the difference?