Wine glasses are as much a part of adult domestic life as plates, cups and cutlery, yet when it comes down to selecting the perfect wine glasses online, it can be more challenging than you imagine. The etiquette underlying the use of wine glasses, knowing which design and style to choose, and the various merits of each can leave even the most experienced connoisseur baffled. Don't panic; if you're looking to buy wine glasses, this advice will help you sort out the red from the white and the crystal from the crackled glass.

Every wine glass has three simple elements: the bowl, the stem, and the base. With that in mind, you would think there should be relatively few choices in terms of style and shape. However, this is not the case. Wine glass size and shape varies, and you can buy wine glasses online specifically for white, red, rosé, dessert or fortified wine, in addition to champagne.

For basic wine glass etiquette, experts recommend that you should look to fill a glass only to around one-third of its capacity, which gives the liquid the highest contact with air to allow it to breathe. As a general rule, the one-third point tends to be the area where the bowl section of the glass is at its widest.

The reason that the bowls have such a distinctive shape is to maximise the sensation of scent while drinking as the tapered rim directs the aroma and gives drinkers the opportunity to swirl the wine around the bowl without risking accidental spills.

Choosing the ideal red wine glass

Red wine glasses tend to have larger, broader bowl sections, which are designed to draw more oxygen into the beverage. This process supports the wine to release its most complex flavours and scents during drinking. Red wine glasses can be categorised into types, for Cabernet and Merlot; Pinot Noir; Shiraz and Syrah; and Bordeaux. The Pinot Noir style is more rounded, while the other three categories have varying depth and width but all have the essential same structure. Cabernet and Merlot styles are designed to maximise flavour while reducing tannins. For Shiraz styles, their smaller structure is designed to enhance fruit flavour and scent.

What to look for when buying White/Rosé wine glasses

White wine glasses are smaller than their red cousins because the aromas within the liquid itself are lighter and less in need of oxygenating, and the more narrow rim directs these lighter aromas straight to the parts of the palate that will appreciate them. White wine glass styles include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Reisling. Sauvignon styles are tapered, with a slim structure to minimise oxygen. Riesling is tall and narrow to concentrate flavour and aroma in the upper section of the bowl, while the long stem maintains chilled wine at an ideal temperature. Rosé does not have a specific style and should be housed in a white wine glass.