I know there have been other threads on this topic over the years, but I was hoping for some basic, practical, concise directions on everyday cleaning of wine glasses.
I use mid-level glasses at home, Schott Zweisel titanium crystal BDX and Burg stems, as well as some older Spieglau Burg stems.
I don’t want to spend hours getting them absolutely perfect, but I’m also finding that either putting them in the dishwasher or washing them by hand and turning them upside down to dry is leaving them full of spots, water marks around the rim, and just not very satisfactory. I tried hand washing using Wine Enthusiast stem shine the last few times, and the water seems to fall off more than otherwise, but I still didn’t think the results were great.
Someone please give me the basic, everyday, mid-level tutorial for what to do with my glasses. Thanks!
I wash my Spiegalau’s in the bottom rack of my Frigidaire dishwasher. They are too tall for the too rack.
They come out clean, sometimes need to pat dry.
Best suggestion I can think of is using the hottest water possible and a linen drying cloth intended for glass. Having filtered water seems to help as well if you’re in an area that has high mineral content in the water supply.
Ultimately I think that high heat yields the best results.
Use the hottest water you can tolerate…no soap. The turn glass upside down for a minute. Bowl should steam up. Grab a riedel dry towel and dry the glass. Has always worked for me with no spots on the glass.
I just handwash w. hot water only, flip it over & shake out as much water as I can, then use a glass polishing cloth to dry. No spots, lint or smell.
Have to wash the cloth with whites every once in a while just to refresh it, no dryer.
No soap. Ever. Use a small rag or very clean sponge and hot water to clean them. Get majority of water off with a clean linen towel. Finish dry with a microfiber cloth. spotless.
I hand wash the stems in hot water with a soft wine glass brush, no soap. I have a wine glass drying rack (an XO product, not expensive) that allows air underneath so they drain when drying. Works fine.
I’ve tried different ways over the years. Now I just use the dishwasher (Kenmore). Shorter stem–Riedel–on the top and the longer stem ones on the bottom. You just have to be careful of how you place them in–kind of loose/not too snug, not too crowded, not too many at one time, and be careful when you remove them. Once in a while, one might crack–but it’s a lot less frequent than when I was hand washing them.
Another vote for hand washing and no (or very little) soap. Use the hottest water you can stand. If there’s staining over time on the glasses, use an oxy cleaner like we do in the winery. Works like a charm.
I prefer not to put my better stems in the dishwasher even though I own a Bosch. One of the best tips I’ve gotten on this board is to use flour sack cloths to finish drying stems.
Hand wash with soap (no soap…ewww!), dry with a microfiber towel.
The microfiber towel is the key.
If you get one that’s thin, flexible and soft, say form Williams and Sonoma (or equivalent), it will dry the glasses with no streaks and without the risk of breaking due to stiffness.
Actually, we use the microfiber towels on any shiny or metal surface, since they leave no streaks or smears. They are worth every penny.