Holidays wouldn't be complete without a toast or two - this fine stemware adds to the festivity.
Only one of these glasses is considered remotely "standard" - the black stemmed wineglass. The others are variations on flutes whose rim flares out instead of in.
Flutes are preferred for serving champagne, as the tall slender design retains the carbonation much longer than a wide shallow glass such as the champagne saucer (through a reduction in surface area). Most standard glasses are designed so the rim is smaller than the widest part of the bowl. This helps retain the aroma.
Glass stemware is made using several different formulas. Crystal glass has more sparkle but contains lead. Soda-lime glass production accounts for most commercial glassware. As an aside, Pyrex glass contains boron to reduce thermal expansion.
Most glassware is produced by a process known as blowmoulding in which a gob of molten glass is blown into a mould. Some process variations include blowing the gob from below to create a rough shape which is then blown a second time to fit into a mould. The glass is then annealed to relieve internal stresses and coated to improve finish and scratch resistance. The hand blown and art glass manufacturing processes are very different and create unique finished pieces.
As a child, I went with my grandfather on a tour of an Owens-Illinois glass factory. All I really remember was the heat from the furnaces melting the raw ingredients and the rotating machines spewing out the blown containers.
