Bormioli Rocco Uno Inalto

Because the shape stays the same, the choice comes down to capacity alone. The 38 cl glass is the smallest and suits crisp white wine, where you would rather top up twice than let one large glass warm through. The 47 cl is the all-rounder: room enough to swirl a normal 12 cl pour. If you want one glass for everything, pick that size. The 56 and 64 cl are there for full-bodied red wine that needs air, and for anyone who wants the glass to make a statement on the table. The 44 cl tumbler is the stemless counterpart, practical for water. Compare the shape with the red wine glasses.

Fill a universal glass to about a third, so around 12 cl in the 47 cl. That looks meagre but it is exactly what you need: the space above catches the aroma. Take white wine out of the fridge just before pouring; red wine, by contrast, is better put somewhere cooler half an hour ahead. Use the 28 cl flute for sparkling wine, and for an aperol spritz reach for the largest bowl instead, because it has to hold ice, prosecco and a slice of orange. A hugo spritz works the same way.

Stem and bowl are drawn from one piece, with no join between them. That is where cheaper glassware breaks first, so the construction really does make a difference. The range is dishwasher-safe; do put the glasses in a rack where they cannot touch, because stem against stem is the most common cause of breakage. When polishing, turn bowl and foot with the same hand, never against each other.

If you do want to separate red from white, you will find that under the wine glasses, where the shapes are sorted by wine style. For sparkling on its own there is the champagne flute glasses category, and for water and soft drinks without a stem the tumbler glasses. The other ranges from Bormioli Rocco show what else the brand makes, from cocktail glass to carafe and beer glass.