Royal Leerdam Gilde

The three wine glass sizes differ only in capacity, not in shape. You fill the 20 cl glass to a third and it keeps white wine cold, simply because you top up more often. The 24 cl is the size asked for most and works for both white and red. The 29 cl gives red wine room to breathe without the glass looking overfull. If you would rather have a separate bowl shape for each type of wine, look at the white wine glasses. Everything comes in sixes, so plan your table in sixes or twelves and keep one set in reserve.

Don't fill a wine glass past its widest point, so you keep room for the aroma. The 6 cl spirit glass is the size for jenever and is also available with a fill line, so you pour exactly what you mean to; alongside a beer that becomes a kopstoot. The 16 cl flute holds the bubbles for a long time and is the right shape for a kir royal. Use the 25 cl cognac glass half full, so the aroma gathers in the bowl.

Gilde is machine-blown soda-lime glass: thicker and heavier than crystal glass, and precisely for that reason forgiving at the rim. Every glass is dishwasher safe. Place them bowl up and keep the stems from touching, because that is where nearly all breakage starts. Polish limescale away with a lint-free cloth while the glass is still lukewarm. If you have a bottle only half empty, wine stoppers will keep it good for days.

To look further within the same brand, the complete range is at Royal Leerdam. If you are only topping up a particular shape, you will find the spirit glasses, the champagne flutes and the liqueur glasses grouped separately, including other brands. And if you are specifically after a heavier glass for red wine, it helps to choose by bowl shape first and only then by brand.