Editing Stemware

{{Short description|Drinkware that stands on stems above a base}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=September 2024}}
[[File:Stemware at Frederiksborg Slot.jpg|thumb|18th century stemware from the museum at [[Frederiksborg Palace]], Denmark]]

'''Stemware''' is [[drinkware]] where the bowl stands on a ''stem'' above a ''foot''{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|p=296}} (base that allows to put the vessel down onto a table).  It is usually made from [[glass]], but may be made from [[ceramic]]s or [[metal]]s. The stemware is intended for cool beverages, like water or wine.{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|p=296}} The stem allows the drinker to hold the glass without affecting the temperature of the drink.{{sfn|Cech|Schact|2005|page=32}} The [[snifter]]s represent an exception, as they are designed to hold the bowl in a cup of the hand to warm up the beverage.{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|p=296}}

== History ==
The glass stemware, with either flat or domed feet, appeared in Middle Ages. Prior to that, a typical drinking vessel made of glass was either a [[Tumbler (glass)|tumbler]] (unlike the modern ones, these have rounded bases and could literally tumble) or a pointed-base design intended for insertion into the ground or streambed for cooling.{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|p=296}} 

The early designs of the foot used thick rims manufactured by folding edges of the foot over itself. This prevented cracking, but increased the weight of the glass, so in England, simple flat bases appeared once the [[excise tax]], based on the vessel weight, was introduced in 1745.{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|p=296}}

== Bowls ==
The modern stemware primarily use the three types of bowls:{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|pp=296-297}}
* ''bucket-shaped'' bowl has a flat bottom and near-vertical sides;
* ''tulip-sheaped'' bowl walls have an S-shaped section, starting from the round bottom and the curving inside;
* ''flared'' bowl has a long vertical form with either a pointed or round bottom and an optional flare-out at the top.

The stemware bowls come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. The large bowls are used for nonalcoholic beverages (historically, they were also used for low-alcohol drinks, like beer or [[mead]]). Medium-sized bowls are used for wine, small bowls are for high-alcohol-content drinks like [[aperitif]]s and [[dessert wine]]s, and very small bowls are used for [[Liquor|cordials]] and [[liquor]]s. Here the snifters are an exception again: they might have large bowls while intended for high-alcohol drinks.{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|p=297}}

The shape of the bowl affects the taste of the beverage. In particular, the French wine quality testing is performed using a special "[[INAO]]" glass with an egg-shaped bowl, short stem, and wide foot.{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|p=303}}

== Vessels ==
Stemware includes:{{sfn|Von Drachenfels|2000|pp=297-309}}
* [[Aperitif glass]]es
* [[Absinthe glass]]es
* [[Champagne flute]]s
* [[Beer glassware#Goblet or Chalice|Chalices and goblets]]
* [[Cocktail glass]]es (including martini glasses and [[margarita glass]]es)
* [[Cordial glasses]]
* [[Dessert wine glass]]es
* [[Iced-tea glass]]es
* [[Liqueur glass]]es
* [[Rummer]]s
* [[Snifter]]s
* [[Wine glass]]es for white wine, red wine, and champagne

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite book |last1=Cech |first1=Mary |last2=Schact |first2=Jennie |title=The Wine Lover's Dessert Cookbook: Recipes and Pairings for the Perfect Glass of Wine |location=San Francisco |publisher=Chronicle Books |date=2005 |isbn=9780811842372 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_iXh4lss_K4C}}
*{{cite book |last=Rinker |first=Harry L. |title=Stemware of the 20th Century: The Top 200 Patterns |year=1997 |publisher=House of Collectibles |location=New York |isbn=9780676600841 |url=https://archive.org/details/stemwareof20thce0000rink |edition=1st |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book | last=Von Drachenfels | first=Susanne | title=The Art of the Table: A Complete Guide to Table Setting, Table Manners, and Tableware | publisher=Simon & Schuster | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-684-84732-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d6xaJWJFe1QC&pg=PA184 | access-date=2023-10-07 | chapter = Stemware | pages = 257-327}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Stemware}}
{{Wiktionary}}

[[Category:Drinking glasses]]


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