WINE GLASS CABINET

Wine glasses are just too pretty to store in a drawer, don’t you think? This is why we have a designated glass cabinet to store most of our wine glasses (especially the crystal ones). I bought the Ikea Stockholm cabinet three years ago and it has been discontinued but Ikea are selling a similar one here.

To be honest, I much prefer what we’ve got. I love the black wood with the circle see-through glass that adds a bit of drama to the design. I think it’s a timeless design that is ideal for a monochrome décor like ours. After 3 years I have no complaints about this cabinet. It gets loads of compliments and people are quite surprised to hear it’s from Ikea. I think with right accessories, you can dress it to look a lot more expensive than it is in reality. It’s very sturdy and the hidden handles have been a godsend in a house with a curious toddler.

We installed the Gruntal lighting (similar one here) inside the cabinet to make it more of a statement piece as well as to make the décor feel a bit more cosy. The light reflects from the glasses nicely and really makes them look like a piece of art on their own.

Last week I decided to reorganise and dust our wine glass cabinet as it had been too long. The good thing is, I usually do this only few times a year (although I am sure it’s recommended more frequently). The glasses don’t gather that much dust either as the cabinet is closed but most importantly the glasses are well protected as crystal glasses can absorb strong odours.

I think overall our glassware collection is pretty good. There are always few designs that I’d like to add to our collection but I am running out of space which means I need to donate few to the local charity shop or I need to find another place to store them. The cabinet is spacious but you really want to allow a bit of space between the glasses so they can breathe and this also minimises the chance for any breakage. I tend to place our frequently used glasses first and the special occasion ones are usually placed at the back.

I love Ikea because you can build your furniture according to your own needs. You can adjust the shelving inside the cabinet based on the height of your glasses. I decided to split it between 3 levels and I placed our martini and cocktail glasses and other cocktail making equipment on the first shelf(which we never use these days to be honest but it’s nice to have them if you do have guests over).

Our ‘vintage’ glasses are currently on the second shelf. I just find them too pretty to hide at the bottom plus they are a lot shorter than our other glasses. I have crystal pieces from Galway Crystal to purchases from second hand shops. I love to have a bit of a variety when it comes to wine glasses. I especially love using vintage style crystal glasses for special occasions. When it’s just the two of us we usually go for Iittala or Riedel. I also store our coasters in the cabinet. I could not imagine life without coasters to be honest. I’m addicted to them.

The third shelf is dedicated mainly to Iittala Essence. We’ve got the white wine, red wine, beer and dessert wine glasses. They are our everyday glasses as they are easy to find and not too expensive to replace if they break. Even though I find the quality of Iittala glasses good I don’t think they are quite as good as some crystal glasses that I own. I love the design though and the fact that they are Finnish is an added bonus!

On the bottom shelf you’ll find most of our champagne glasses. We have a lot of them but it’s great if you are having a party as even if some people don’t drink wine, they’ll usually toast with champagne. I love our Waterford Crystal glasses (on the right). We use them every Christmas and I know I will hold onto these forever. We broke one of them last year but luckily someone was selling the identical one on ebay!

I am also loving Riedel at the moment and particularly their Vitis range which is one of the most beautiful glass designs I have seen. However, the glasses are the tallest glasses I know and would not fit anywhere else so that’s why they are mixed with our champagne glasses. We currently have their Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling and Pinot Noir glasses but I wouldn’t mind adding the Oaked Chardonnay glasses to our collection as some point. They are quite expensive though and painful to replace so I do watch myself a little bit when using them and I always leave the washing up for the Morning.

One thing you will not find in my wine glass cabinet is coloured wine glasses. I like to see and enjoy the colour of the wine and if the glasses are tinted it takes away from it. I wouldn’t mind having gold rimmed flutes though. My addiction with gold/brass is still going strong and I am starting to incorporate this with our tableware as well.

We clean our decanter with the Riedel Bottle Cleaner and it’s such a clever way to clean glassware. The metallic mini pellets remove dirt, residue, sediment and dirt inside the bottle. I wish I had discovered it sooner and never bothered with bottle brushes.

We also discovered the Magic Decanter few years ago and it’s a ‘must have’ if you are into red wine. It helps you decant the wine quicker and is great for getting rid of the sediment.

How do you store your wine glasses? I used to think glass cabinets were a bit old fashioned as these days I see most people opting for open shelving and fancy wine glass hanging racks. I guess you do what suits you best but I am pretty sure I will need to find some more creative ways to store our glasses as I have a feeling our collection is not quite finished yet.