At some restaurants you’ll find stemmed wineglasses that hold about eight ounces when filled to the brim. Other establishments have 32-ounce glasses that they pour five or six ounces into, and some are using the new iteration of stemless from Riedel. At some Greek, Italian, or Asian restaurants they pour wine into six ounce juice glasses. All of that is just fine.

But some wineglasses are Burgundy glasses, and some are called Bordeaux. Does that mean you have to have different glasses with those wines? Then we found out about Sherry glasses and Champagne flutes. How many of these things are there?

In slick wine magazines you can read ads with icons of the wine industry endorsing glassware and creating fear. Fear that you would commit the sin of using the wrong wineglass. Suddenly, the glassware you have is declared not the right wine glasses. The wine now needed more than a stemmed glass, you had to have Riesling glasses, Pinot Noir and younger Cabernet glasses, then better Cabernet glasses and great-red-wine-that-is-expensive-and-old glasses!

Relax; take a deep breath, maybe a sip of wine. Wine is for life, enjoyment, and relaxation. It is for sharing with friends, complimenting a meal, toasting something important to you, something that is probably much more important than a wine glass.

Here are some points about wine glassware and shopping for glassware.

1. The glass shouldn’t leak. (Relax.)
2. No colored glass. At least not the bowl of the glass; it changes how the wine looks, hides its color.
3. The main bowl of the glass can have etching or faceting, but just plain glass is the preferred style. I said glass and I meant it. Plastic is only acceptable at the beach or inside the pool. Oh, and the leaded-glass thing. There are some that worry that they will get lead poisoning from leaded glass. Fine, don’t buy that kind. I heard one theory that the reason really good glasses make the wine taste better is because of the lead in the glasses. If you buy that argument, then, fine, buy that kind.
4. At least 16-ounce capacity and don’t be afraid of sizes up to 36 ounces. And you still only pour 4-6 ounces in the glass, regardless of its capacity.
5. Look at the base of the glass. You know basic engineering, look for a base that is large enough to balance the top. Too many cutesy glasses are made with a small base and large bowl that are just accidents looking for a place to happen.
6. If you like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Bordeaux, that type of wine uses a Bordeaux style glass. Kind of teardrop shaped. The other basic kind of glass is Burgundy and it is much wider, more of a globe with the top cut off. That is better for Pinot Noir, French Burgundy, Chardonnays, and Beaujolais. Either glass will work just fine for any wine. The type of glass can help, but good wine still tastes good in a Mason jar.
7. Better wineglasses do not have a rolled lip. This is what they call the rounded rim on the lip of the glass. Supposedly, this makes it easier for you to drink the wine and not dribble on your shirt. This does make a different look for the glass (the roll) but I have not seen it as a problem except in drinking out of jelly jars and thick-sided coffee cups. However, almost all better-quality wineglasses have omitted the roll, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Why do they add the roll? It makes the glass stronger and more durable.
8. Get a glass with a stem. I know that there is a current love of the fat, stemless, Burgundy-style glass. But let me tell you why I like the stems. One, if you hold the glass in your hand, it warms the wine. Even if it has a stem, don’t hold it by the bowl of the glass. Second, it makes the glass ‘messy’ and in a tiny way spoils the picture of the wine dancing in the light as you swirl. Third, when you toast while you hold the bowl, it sounds clunky. If you hold a glass by the stem, a toast rings like the special announcement that a toast really should be.
9. Riedel (pronounced REE-dul) is the current “in” company for wine glasses and they make excellent glassware in at least four levels. They are great, and if you don’t mind paying $10 to $150 a stem, just go get them. A lot of liquor stores and a few department stores carry them. On the other hand, there are other brands that are also good — and cheaper. Many department and homewares stores carry a wide selection of quite nice glassware. Also, if you just follow the basic tenets I have written, go to any store you like.

Remember that one of the most famous references to wine — “A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou” — doesn’t even mention a glass.