Whether you're keen on cocktails or love winding down with a glass of wine, a great glassware collection is key to enjoying your favourite beverages at home. There's a perfect glass for every kind of tipple and understanding why they're made for each other will enhance your drinking experience and ensure you reach for the right vessel when your at-home happy hour kicks off!

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Why use different types of glassware?

Much like a meal, aroma and temperature are fundamental to the experience of sipping on a drink. Thanks to clever design elements that control these factors, glassware has evolved to create the perfect environment for the liquid served inside.
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​What are the essential types of glassware?

You don't need every type of glass to enjoy your favourite tipple and make great cocktails at home. Start with glasses that suit your go-to drinks before expanding your set. Here, we look at some of the most common types of glassware and guide you through picking the perfect vessels for your bar cart.

 
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White wine glass

If you've ever heard someone talk about letting wine 'breathe', this refers to the process of allowing air to circulate through the liquid to impact its flavour. The shape of a wine glass determines the pace of aeration, making wine glasses with a taller, narrower bowl perfect for white wine. These glasses slow down aeration and help retain the delicate notes of lighter drops.

Red wine glass

Red wine benefits from wine glasses with a large, rounded bowl to allow more air to interact with the wine. With plenty of room for swirling, this shape helps bring out the full-bodied flavour of your favourite red. Red wine glasses are also great for serving wine cocktails, from a summer spritz to Sangria.


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Champagne flute

These tall, slender glasses are just right for champagne or sparkling wine. The elegant shape stops bubbles from fizzling out too quickly because no one wants to celebrate with flat champagne! The coupe glass is also a popular choice for serving champagne, offering a vintage aesthetic that harks back to the 1920s.

Cocktail glass  

Often called a Martini glass, a classic cocktail glass takes the form of a stemmed conical, designed to hold cocktails without ice (think the Cosmopolitan, Manhattan and Martini). Another key feature of the cocktail glass is its extended stem that places plenty of distance between the liquid and warm hands—important for maintaining the cool temperature of cocktails served without ice.

Highball Glass

Essential to any home bar, the versatile highball glass is tall and wide enough to hold a large volume of liquid, making it ideal for drinks served with non-alcoholic mixers. You can use a highball glass for everything from a gin and tonic to a Bloody Mary, as well as water, juice and soda.

Short Tumbler 

Tumblers are short glasses with a solid base that suit neat pours of liquor. Also known as an Old Fashioned glass or rocks glass, tumblers can serve short cocktails over ice as the wide opening allows for the addition of a single, large ice cube that slows down the dilution of a Negroni or Old Fashioned.

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Beer Glass

While there are many different beer glass styles, the simple act of pouring your bevvie into a glass enhances the sensory experience by releasing aromas. It also cuts down carbonation, which reduces the amount of gas you consume. A standard 400ml glass will hold a typical Australian beer, with a range of other shapes and sizes available to suit your preferred drink.