Royal Leerdam Grandeur

The 31 centilitre glass is meant for white wine: a small bowl with little surface, so the wine stays cold longer and keeps its freshness. The 43 centilitre is the all-rounder in which both light red wine and full-bodied white show well. The 60 centilitre is the bowl for firm red wine, which needs room to breathe and to be swirled. With all three, count on filling about a third, so around twenty centilitres in the largest bowl. Feel free to compare with the other red wine glasses and white wine glasses.

In a classic setting the water glass stands above and to the left of the plate, with the wine glasses set diagonally behind it in the order in which they will be used. The 48 centilitre tumbler serves as the water or soft drink glass and is deliberately a little sturdier, so that it does not tip over when someone reaches for it between the plates. Keep the 22 centilitre flute for the start of the evening: a Kir Royal or a French 75 keeps its bubbles longer in this slender shape.

Grandeur is machine-drawn glass without lead, which means the wall thickness is even throughout and the glass copes well with changes in temperature. It is dishwasher safe, provided you stand the bowls upright and apart, because bowls leaning against one another break at the stem rather than at the rim. Let the machine air out afterwards with the door ajar and no limescale spots will be left on the thin rim.

If Grandeur is not quite right next to what is already in the cupboard, look at the rest of Royal Leerdam for ranges with the same solidity but a different line. If you are only after bubbles, all the models stand side by side at the champagne flutes, from narrow flutes to wider coupes. And if wine is left in the bottle after dinner, wine stoppers keep the rest drinkable for another day.