Mar 10
14
Getting The Best Crystal Wine Glasses
Crystal wine glasses are created from glass that holds lead oxide. Lead oxide is added to the glass to increase the density and when the density is increased, the glass becomes more reflective and shinier. Crystal wine glasses often reflect a brilliant array of color.
Crystal wine glasses are heavier than glass wine glasses since of the lead content. The number of colors that are reflected from the glass really depends on the number of lead that is added to it. The amount of oxide lead added to the piece determines the weight of the crystal.
Hand created crystal wine glasses often have seed bubbles that are visible in the glass. These bubbles are made when tiny pockets or air get trapped inside the glass. That is why, a lot of people wonder why they find imperfections in their crystal pieces. This is because the process of making the glass itself.
Other imperfections include chill marks and slightly cloudy places. Imperfections are found on even the finest hand crafted crystal wine glasses. These imperfections are often only seen by holding the glass up to a light. They are not a sign that the glass is faulty, but they are more likely a sign that the glass was made by hand.
Since crystal is a soft glass, it is easily scratched. So proper care of your crystal wine glasses is very important if you want them to last for a long time. Crystal glass can be scratched by small particles of dust, sand and dirt.
Care Tips for Your Crystal Wine Glasses:
* DO NOT try to carry a handful of crystal glasses at one time. It is better that the pieces do not touch each other or other items. This will prevent the pieces from being scratched.
* It is also very important that you do not use harsh cleaners such as ammonia if you need to soak your crystal glasses. Instead, stick with a solution of mild dish soap and warm water.
* Most experts will tell you never to put your crystal stemware in the dishwasher. If you do decide to put it in the dishwasher, it is best that you use the gentlest cycle.
With a proper care, crystal wine glasses will last for many years. They make a great keepsake to hand down to future generations and make a beautiful addition to any collection. Besides that, giving a crystal wine glass as a present is a fantastic idea for wine lovers.
Anne Durrel comes from California. She has, combined, over 3 years of experience in Wine. You may want to check out her other guide on Crystal Wine Glasses tips and Personalized Wine Glasses guide.
Related Reading:
Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink (Modern Library Paperbacks)A sample of the menu: Woody Allen on dieting the Dostoevski way • Roger Angell on the art of the martini • Don DeLillo on Jell-O • Malcolm Gladwell on building a better ketchup • Jane Kramer on the writer’s kitchen • Chang-rae Lee on eating sea urchin • Steve Martin on menu mores • Alice McDermott on sex and ice cream • Dorothy Parker on dinner conversation • S. J. Perelman on a hollandaise assassin • Calvin Trillin on New York’s best bagelIn this indispensable collection, The New Yorker dishes up a feast of delicious writing–food and drink memoirs, short stories, tell-alls, and poems, seasoned with a generous dash of cartoons. M.F.K. Fisher pays homage to “cookery witches,” those mysterious cooks who possess “an uncanny power over food,” and Adam Gopnik asks if French cuisine is done for. There is Roald Dahl’s famous story “Taste,” in which a wine snob’s palate comes in for some unwelcome scrutiny, and Julian Barnes’s ingenious tale of a lifelong gourmand who goes on a very peculiar diet. Whether you’re in the mood for snacking on humor pieces and cartoons or for savoring classic profiles of great chefs and great eaters, these offerings, from every age of The New Yorker’s fabled eighty-year history, are sure to satisfy every taste.
