Paradox Cristalin Teseo

Start with the wine that most often ends up in your glass. The 67 cl Bordeaux has a tall, slightly tapering bowl that gives full-bodied red wine room without the aroma escaping straight away. The 63 cl Burgundy is wider and rounder and works better with pinot noir and other finer red wines, because the larger surface releases more scent. The 45 cl tasting glass is the all-rounder: enough volume for white wine, small enough not to crowd the table. You will find more shapes among the red wine glasses and the wine glasses.

Pour up to the widest point of the bowl and no higher. On the Bordeaux that is around a third of the capacity, roughly a normal serving of 15 cl. The space above it is not waste but the place where the aroma gathers when you swirl the glass. Hold the glass by the stem, so the warmth of your hand does not warm the wine. The 30 cl champagne glass is narrower and holds the bubbles longer; pour into it in two goes so the foam can settle. For the start of the evening, have a look at the recipe for the Kir Royal.

Handmade crystalline glass is thinner than machine-made glass and therefore more vulnerable where the bowl meets the stem. These glasses can go in the dishwasher on a short programme at a low temperature, as long as they do not touch one another. Rinse afterwards with warm water and dry the bowl with a linen cloth while the glass is still hand-warm, and no limescale marks will be left. When drying, turn the bowl itself and never the stem.

If you are looking for the maker's other ranges, you will find them under Paradox Cristalin. If you want to let a young red breathe before it goes into the glass, have a look at the carafes. If you mainly serve sparkling wine, narrower and wider models sit side by side among the champagne glasses. And the recipe for the French 75 shows nicely what the champagne glass from this range can handle.