What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Vintage Wine Glasses?

There are pros and cons to using vintage wine glasses for both entertaining and simply drinking wine at home. Vintage wine glasses can add a touch of class to a person's home and party decor. At the same time, their use can be risky, as they may not be easily replaced, and it may be difficult to find glasses that match in both appearance and size.

Finding a set of vintage wine glasses in an antique store or auction can be exciting, as these glasses are often elegant in appearance and may look very different from contemporary wine glass styles. In some cases, those who own such wine glasses may decide to not actually use them for drinking wine, but instead use them as decorative pieces. If someone decides to use her vintage wine glasses, there is a significant risk that eventually one or more of the glasses will break. In addition to losing what may be a valuable antique, it may be impossible to find a replacement glass. If it is important to the owner that he serves his wine from matching glasses, this can be a problem as the number of glasses begin to dwindle.

For some owners of vintage wine glasses, having a matching set may not matter as much. Instead, these owners may simply enjoy drinking from their vintage wine glasses when they are at home alone or eating a private, family meal. Another option is to deliberately mix up various vintage wine glasses as part of a table setting or as bar glassware so that different guests can drink from different glass styles. If the glasses are particularly distinctive, guests may very much appreciate being served a unique glass, and the glasses themselves may become a conversation piece. Another advantage to using assorted glassware is that guests may be less likely to confuse their own wineglass for that which belongs to someone else.

For some people, collecting wine glasses is a hobby. Their considerations in using vintage wine glasses may be different from those who primarily see their wine glasses as drinking vessels. Still, if collectors do drink or serve wine in their home, they may wish to designate certain glasses in their collection as working glassware, to be used for actually drinking wine. Other parts of their collection may be reserved entirely for viewing by others, but may not actually be pressed into service in order to reduce the chance of their being damaged.