Port glasses

Choose the size first. This collection ranges from 8 to 25 cl, and there’s a reason for that. For a glass of port of about 7 cl, a 13 to 15 cl bowl is the classic choice, such as the Lehmann Grand Reserve or the Royal Leerdam Bouquet. The glass will then be just under half full, leaving room for the aroma above. The larger 19 to 25 cl glasses from Spiegelau, Schott Zwiesel and Riedel are actually vintage port glasses. Vintage port and old tawny benefit from a little extra air. If you’re looking for a luxury port glass, this thin crystal is usually the way to go.

Next, consider the rim. If it curves inward, it concentrates the aroma, which works well with sweet red port. A straight, wider rim, like the one on the Onis N.Y.C., lets the alcohol escape faster. That’s better suited to chilled white port.

Choose a stem long enough to hold without your fingers touching the bowl. You’ll notice the difference right away with white port and port tonic.

Don’t pour more than 7 cl. Drink red port and tawny slightly below room temperature, at around sixteen degrees. Serve white and rosé port chilled, at around eight degrees, often with tonic and ice in a larger glass. If you’ve decanted a vintage port, pour it gently down the side. That way, the sediment stays in the decanter.

An opened bottle of ruby or tawny port keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks. Vintage port goes off much faster. That’s why we prefer to serve it by the glass rather than leave the bottle on the table all evening.

Blue cheese, walnuts and dark chocolate pair well with port. In winter, it also makes its way into a warming mix. In the Christmas cocktails section, you’ll find a few recipes with port as the base, and in the overview of cocktail recipes you can see which glass goes with each drink.

Most port glasses in this collection are made of lead-free crystal glass. It can be drawn very thin. This makes the rim finer and the port flows more smoothly over your lips. They do need a little care in the dishwasher. Place the glasses separately and choose a short cycle at no more than sixty degrees to keep them clear.

Pasabahce and Royal Leerdam make their models from tempered glass or soda-lime glass. These are much sturdier. In the hospitality industry, where racks full of glasses go through the machine every evening, that’s a big advantage.

If you see a white film after washing, it’s almost always limescale, not wear. A splash of white vinegar in lukewarm water will remove it. Then dry the glass with a linen cloth and hold it by the bowl, never by the stem.

If you mainly serve sherry, then sherry glasses are closer in size. For limoncello and other digestifs, choose liqueur glasses. If you serve port by the glass in a restaurant, you’ll probably also need tasting glasses , as their size is a good fit. Decant a vintage wine using one of the decanters. And if you want a name, year, or logo printed on them, for example for a winery, you can arrange that through custom glass printing.