Hi all,
I’m in need of guidance of buying some very nice champagne flutes as an engagement gift. This will be the second marriage for both in this couple and didn’t have a proper registry as they have most of what they need considering their age and station in life.
They enjoy nice champagne so I was thinking of buying a set of four fine champagne flutes with a bottle of champagne.
I’d appreciate any advice of what I should be looking at for purchase.
Thank you.
Hi David,
You’re not going to find a ton of love for flutes here, seeing as the glass shape doesn’t lend itself well to allowing the Champagne to express itself and is more aesthetic than utilitarian.
However, there are a ton of “tulip”-shaped glasses that are both beautiful and great for actually enjoying the wine - Zalto Denk’Art, Grassl, Sophienwald, Riedel - or you could go for something more akin to a white wine glass which functions just as well. Personally, I enjoy all Champagnes out of my regular Zalto universal or GLASVIN glasses, and I prefer the larger bowl and diameter to capture more of the aromatic qualities of the wine.
Thank you for this information, Sean. I’m not married to flutes, just thought that would be the appropriate nomenclature to kick the conversation off with. I agree with you, I also prefer a tulip shaped glass for champagne and whisky.
I’ll take a look at your recommendations, thank you for your thoughts.
We have a set of Waterford flutes that we inherited. They look great and lend a nice touch to a special occasion or nice dinner. It’s easy to pick some up on Ebay. While I agree with Sean that traditional flutes aren’t the best shape for serious oenophiles, I drink almost all my Champagne out of Grassl and Riedel glassware, classical flutes have a place even in our home as well as for people that aren’t as critical/serious in their approach to wine or if your in the mood for some bling or nostalgia. Cheers.
Check out the new Glasvin Champagne tulip.
The Grassl six glass Champagne set is very nice and we use them a lot. I also really like the Grassl mineralite glass for the best Champagnes.
Agree on the Grassl set
Agree with this. I love these, the best I’ve ever used.
Came here to say this.
Tulips are only good for toasting (lots of people, small portion, can fill a serving tray). I like a white wine glass. Something a little smaller than a universal, to retain some CO2. Zalto makes a great one. Have not tried the Glasvin tulip but love their other glasses. Might be a solid option.
I think to people who aren’t super into wine a tulip strikes a good balance between their expectations regarding a champagne glass and a glass that is actually useful. Personally I prefer a white wine glass as well, but for a gift I’d definitely consider a tulip.
I understand and mostly agree with the argument for tulip style champagne glass, but if the OP is still interested in a special occasion high-end flute- I love the Baccarat Massena Champagne. I think it’s a beautiful, cut-crystal flute that’s stunning in person.
We’re bubble fans. Just picked up a set of Schott Zwiesel Pure Champagne glasses (flutes). They are tall and stylish (at least to me) and affordable. Cheers!
Yeah very good point. The look of a tulip seems more celebratory and more of what someone might expect for champagne (if not a flute or coupe). The puzzled looks I get from some waiters when I order sparkling and ask for a wine glass…
I have the Lehmann Authentiques 29cl. It’s a great shape, not too tall or tippy, but the base becomes cloudy/etches in the dishwasher. All my Lehmanns have this issue, including mouth-blown ones. I recently bought the Glasvin tulips designed by a board member. They are substantially taller than the Lehmann, but the shape is more esthetically attractive to me. The base is large, so they are not as tippy as they appear they would be. The Glasvin are thinner than the Lehmann.
Another recommendation, if you want something more casual and “flute” shaped, is the La Rochere Jean Luce (mouth blown). These have no stem, but do have a base so you are not holding the bowl. I don’t recommend the machine-made La Rochere unless you want something close to indestructible, since they are extremely thick and have a noticeable seam down the side.
Totally agree. The Glasvin tulips are elegant, beautiful tulip shape with a long stem, and the bulb is very adequate for capturing aromas.
I agree on the Glasvin. Picked some up during BD. Beautiful.
You mentioned that they enjoy nice champagne so they may appreciate these more than the traditional flutes.
Grassl Mineralite. I’ve yet to try anything else that even comes close.
Try the Riedel flutes at Target. Hard to beat.