Royal Leerdam Carre

The capacity decides what the glass is for. The 53 cl model is the large bowl of the range and lets red wine breathe without your having to fill the glass too far. The 38 cl is the all-rounder for pouring both red and white, and you keep the 28 cl for white wine you want to hold cool. For bubbles you choose between the 22 cl flute, which holds on to the carbonation for a long time, and the 30 cl coupe with its wide, flat bowl. The 14 cl sherry glass closes the table.

Fill a wine glass to about a third, so the scent can gather in the space above the wine. Hold the glass by the stem; the square foot sits comfortably between thumb and forefinger. The coupe is the shape you serve a French 75 in, and a champagne cocktail with a sugar cube at the bottom also comes into its own here. Keep the flute for sparkling wine on its own, pouring along the side so the foam does not spill over.

Carré is made of clear soda-lime glass that takes the dishwasher. The square foot stands firmly in the rack, but place the glasses clear of each other, because the transition from stem to bowl is the first thing to break. Let them dry on for a moment after the programme with the door ajar; the water then evaporates without leaving rings.

If you want to see what else the brand makes, have a look at Royal Leerdam. If you search by shape instead of by range, you will find all the champagne coupes, champagne flutes and sherry glasses together. If you often serve bubbles at the table, a champagne cooler keeps the bottle at temperature, so you do not have to carry it back and forth between table and fridge.