.jpg)
I spent years living with roommates and making due with our collective assortment of mismatched dishware, throwing washed take-out containers haphazardly into a cupboard and reusing them until they were cracked and stained, and living with a pantry that was in a constant state of moderate disarray. But when I moved in with my boyfriend, I took the opportunity to get my shit together. I pride myself on being a relatively put-together person, and that now translates to my kitchen too. I’ve got a cabinet full of well-organized food storage containers with their corresponding lids, I keep my spices neatly stacked in deli containers with labeled with color-coded kitchen tape, I replaced my chipped water glasses with a matching set, and I have a special drawer that houses the linens, taper candles, and flatware I pull out when I’m hosting. It all feels very adult.
Until recently, though, there was one remaining aspect of my kitchen that still needed help. While I have more fun coupes and rocks glasses than I know what to do with, I haven’t owned a matching set of wine glasses since college—in fact, at the time of my move, I had two left to my name. It’s not for lack of trying: I’ve tested out glassware during my time at BA, bringing home countless options in the hopes that they’d be my forever stems. I’ve somehow managed to break every single one of them, which has become a running joke for those that know me.
But despite my clumsiness, I’m not willing to sacrifice style for durability. I want a thin-stemmed, thin-rimmed, elegant wine glass that won’t snap in two the minute I lay my hands on it. Is that too much to ask?
For the longest time, I thought it might be, and had resigned myself to sipping wine out of stemless tumblers—until I discovered Gabriel-Glas’s StandArt All Purpose Wine Glass. They’ve got a sleek, slightly conical shape that I find enhances reds, whites, and rosés alike, with a slight curve between the bowl and the rim that adds a touch of personality to an otherwise classic silhouette. The stem is thin enough to satisfy my desire for elegance without being so delicate that I’m scared I’ll snap it, and the laser-cut rim is a joy to sip from.
Because the glasses are machine-blown from a single piece of molten crystal, they have none of the weak points that tend to form where traditional multipart glasses are joined. The machine-blown construction also keeps the cost per glass low enough that I won’t mind replacing one if (let’s be real, when) I do drop and shatter it. But I’m pleased to report that as of right now, all six of my beloved StandArt glasses are intact and ready to take on my new apartment’s first season of holiday hosting and cozy weather hangs. Bring on the winter reds and festive bottles of bubbly.