Being a wine expert, people are often surprised to hear that I don’t care much about what you serve wine in. That doesn’t mean I’ll drink wine out of just anything (there are a few things a wine glass really does add to the wine-tasting experience), but people are too precious about the glassware. Have you ever been invited to someone’s house and are handed a glass so wafer-thin and delicate that you’re nervous about touching it, let alone holding it? Fancy and pricey, nice wine glasses are beautiful, but for me, the stress that comes with them isn’t worth it. Hosting isn’t fun if you’re constantly worrying about them—side-eyeing your guests who are talking with their hands, or spending the end of the night tenderly hand-washing each glass.
A glass breaking feels almost inevitable, regardless if someone has had one glass or three, and I’ve seen it happen in a number of different ways: the slip out of the hand, the teeter off the edge, the slow-motion knock over. Once it breaks, the party stops. Everyone freezes, I have to call for someone to hold my poor kitten, Pinot, until the floor’s safe again, and I’m on broom-and-vacuum duty until all shards are gone.