RCR Laurus

Start with the wine glasses, because that’s where the difference lies. The 28 cl glass provides enough room for red wine to swirl without overfilling it. The 23 cl is more compact and better suited to white wine, which you keep chilled by serving it in smaller portions. If you mainly drink full-bodied red wine, you’re better off with a bowl from the category red wine glasses.

With tumblers, choose based on how you use them. The 25 cl is a water glass that you can hold in one hand; the 33 cl has the heavy base you want for whisky. The 16 cl flute is small, so it keeps the bubbles together for longer; the 6 cl shot glass is the standard size for a drink.

Pour about one-third full into a 28 cl wine glass. That may seem stingy, but it is exactly the amount that allows the aromas to gather in the upper half of the bowl. With a flute, do the opposite: pour in two stages along the side of the glass so the carbonation does not dissipate all at once.

The 33 cl tumbler is the glass for a Old Fashioned over one large ice cube. The flute is ideal for a Mimosa: pour in the orange juice first, then gently top up with the sparkling wine.

Laurus is made from Luxion, the lead-free crystal glass by RCR. Here the clarity comes from minerals other than lead, which keeps the glass hard enough for the dishwasher and stops it from going milky the way old-fashioned lead crystal can.

Place the glasses loosely in the basket, because most damage comes from knocks during the cycle and not from the water itself.

If you want to compare within the same brand with series that do have an engraving or relief, visit the brand page for RCR. If you are specifically looking for the taller models for mixed drinks, the broader selection is available under highball glasses. For aperitif sizes, there is the category shot glasses, and those looking only for the sparkling wine section will find the slender models under champagne flute glasses.