The best wine glasses for your boat? That’s a hard one . . . what’s perfect for me may be all wrong for you. So I’ll first discuss several considerations, then discuss the pros and cons of specific wine glasses. Unfortunately, I haven’t found the glass that meets all the criteria for use on a boat, so you’ll have to decide your priorities to pick “the perfect boat wine glass.”
What Do I Want in a Wine Glass?
The look and feel of the glass are always important, but being on a boat adds a few other considerations: are they likely to tip over? if they tip or fall, will they break? Depending on your location, there may be other factors such as the ability to keep bugs out of the wine.
One problem with traditionally-shaped wine glasses — that is, glasses with stems — is that they don’t fit into drink holders. Or maybe I should say that drink holders don’t keep them from tipping. I recently ran across a drink holder insert designed for stemmed wine glasses (see photo at right) that does prevent tipping.
This wine glass holder is called a Yoebi, and it fits inside a standard drink holder. You then slide the foot in and out to drink and set the glass down. See my full review of the Yoebi — I love it!
There are some more good photos of it on the Yoebi web site and you can buy them there — as well as discounts on sets of 4.
9 Wine Glass Options to Choose From
Below are “mini reviews” on 9 wine glasses that are good on a boat and links to several other wine glasses that I’ve reviewed since I first published this. You’ll probably laugh at some — a sippy cup? really? — but each makes sense in certain circumstances. In making these recommendations, I’ve tried to keep affordability in mind but I also know that everyone has a different idea of how much they’re willing to spend and some options (such as stainless steel wine glasses) simply do cost more.
Here are my choices, with “glass” glasses first, followed by less breakable options: plastic and stainless.
Traditional Glass Wine Glasses
If you want a traditionally-shaped glass wine glass, the Libbey Catawba Footed Goblet is my choice. The tulip shape works for either red or white wines.
Being glass, they are breakable, but the glass is heavy enough — particularly in the stem, the most vulnerable spot — that they are less likely to break than many other glass glasses. They are also less top-heavy than many other wine glasses, making them less tippy.
While they have a nice look and feel, the primary disadvantages are the fact that stemmed glasses just can’t be put into most drink holders (but see the Yoebi above), making them more likely to tip or fall, and the fact that if they do fall, they’re glass — if one breaks and you’re barefoot, be careful! The corresponding advantage is that since they’re a footed glass, they hang nicely from overhead glass racks.
The Libbey Catawba Footed Goblet is sold in a 4-pack. If you want a 12-pack, a very similar design is sold as the Sociable Wine Goblet. (Update: If the Catawba is unavailable, the Sociable is a good substitute.)
Best for boats that often entertain at the dock or in very calm anchorages, and who want a traditional wine glass look and feel.
Stemless Glass Wine Glasses
Stemless wine glasses seem like such a great idea for using on a boat, but there are a couple of things to be aware of. First, many don’t fit in a standard size drink holder (3-1/2″). And many don’t really have good gripping areas — which can be a problem if the boat suddenly rolls.
The Libbey Vina Stemless 17-Ounce White Wine Glasses aren’t perfect, but they are a good choice for boat use if you want a “real glass” stemless wine glass. They will fit in most drink holders (the ones designated as “red wine” glasses won’t) and since they are a little smaller in diameter, they are easier to grip.
They are also thicker than some other wine glasses, so they are less likely to break — but they’re still not heavy glass and thus it’s likely that you’ll have some breakage over the years. Another “disadvantage” (depending on your viewpoint) is that they are large and it’s easy to fill them fuller than you intend.
Sold in a box of four.
Other Stemless Glass Options
Another option used by many boaters for “wine glasses” are actually juice glasses. Admittedly, they don’t have the traditional tulip wine glass shape, which bothers some purists, but they overcome several of the other problems. Juice glasses will almost always fit in standard drink holders (and have heavier bases so they’re less likely to tip even on a table), and most have some design features that make them easier to grip. They are also usually made of heavier glass than “wine glasses” and thus are less likely to break. Typically, they hold 6 to 7 ounces.
Juice glasses that I like for use as stemless wine glasses:
- Bormioli Rocco Galassia Tumbler Juice Glasses (sold in boxes of 6) — smaller size than a traditional wine glass, but a similar shape. The pattern in the base makes them easy to hold with a finger under the bottom.
- Bormioli Rocco Rock Bar Stackable Juice Glasses (also sold in boxes of 6) — these should fit in any drink holder (even “smallish” ones) and are very easy to grip. They’re also heavier glass than almost anything else I’ve found. No one will mistake them for fine crystal, but for everyday use on a boat, they can be a good option.
Plastic Stemless Wine Glasses
I just found these 8 oz. Strahl Unbreakable Stemless Glasses, with a 2.75-inch diameter — so they’ll fit in a drink holder. They are made of polycarbonate with a thick base to reduce tippy-ness.
Amazon: 8 oz. Strahl Osteria Stemless Glasses (set of 4)
Strahl also makes a 13-ounce stemless wine glass, with a diameter just over 3 inches:
Amazon: 13 oz. Strahl Osteria Stemless Glass (individual) (No longer sold individually)
Amazon: 13 oz. Strahl Osteria Stemless Glasses (set of 12)
Also see my posts on GSI Stemless Wine Glasses and Govino Wine Glasses
Another Plastic Option
If you’ve ever been in a rolly anchorage, tried to take your regular wine glasses for a sunset dinghy ride or been where bugs keep getting into your wine, then you’ll appreciate this idea:
A sippy cup.
The Contigo Autoseal Kids Cups (14 ounce) are actually an improvement on a sippy cup. You press the button to drink and when you release it, it seals. Totally spill-proof and leak-proof if it tips over. Plastic so it won’t break. And small enough to fit in almost any drink holder, at just over 3″. Okay, so it may not be traditional, and it may not be fancy, but it is useful in addition to your “real” wine glasses. Sold in sets of 2 at Amazon. (Note: they also make larger sizes good for other drinks that you need to protect from insects.)
Another “sippy cup” option — designed specifically for wine — are the Vino2Go glasses.
Stainless Wine Glasses
Some people like stainless wine glasses; some don’t. They are almost impossible to break, but some just don’t like drinking wine from metal. And if you’re drinking chilled white wine in a hot locale, they’ll sweat a lot. But as an alternative to glass, they’re prettier than the other options.
That said, these Stainless Wine Glasses can be a good choice for your boat and they are quite a bit cheaper than some of the other stainless wine glasses available and are sold in sets of 2.
Cheers!
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Lisa Novak says
Another option that I did not see here is big heavy crystal glasses. We have been using them for years. They are pretty strong and we have had a few fall on the granite counter and not break.
Candy Ann Williams on Facebook says
I love the creative sippy cup idea!
The Boat Galley on Facebook says
Creative? More like desperate not to spill . . . or have bees and other bugs in my wine!
Candy Ann Williams on Facebook says
Lol!! Know what you mean about spilling.
Michelle Smith says
I’ve tried glass, stainless, plastic, solo cups, and acrylic, and they all have their place. I’ve found I don’t care for the way stainless changes the taste of the wine, plastic and solo cups are great for dock parties where the are lots of people to accidently knock over your glass. Sippy cups are great for dinghy rides ( especially if it’s a little rolly or high speed). But for just hanging out on deck or in the cockpit glass I prefer glass. After being a live-a-board for five years, I’ve only broken 3 glasses. For someone as clumsy as me that’s pretty good.
Leigh Ann says
I like to use the 8 oz Tervis tumblers, as well. Keeps wine the correct temp, fits mostly in our cupholders and even with chilled wines, no condensation!
Barbara Schmitz says
I am looking for a place to order stemless wine glasses that can also engrave them with a picture of the boat and the name of the boat. This is a gift for my cousin and her husband. I found a website in September that did that (Rossmarine.com) but at that time I did not know the number of the boat to have engraved on the glass. The website had numbers that matched the model of the boat. I have since found out the number that matches, but now the website is not there. Can anyone help. Thank you, Barbara Schmitz
Carolyn Shearlock says
Actually it’s RossMarineIdeas.com — here is the link:
http://www.rossmarineideas.com/product-category/acrylic-and-polycarbonate-drinkware/
Heather says
Libbey makes 9oz stemless glasses, and better yet, Hercuglass (hercuglass.com) will treat them for added shatter resistance. We have Hercuglass champagne glasses (bought treated so that we could bring them on our next boat with us when we take off cruising again) and they have tipped over on wood a couple times now without breaking. I look forward to purchasing a dozen of these smaller, treated wine glasses for our next boat, rather than purchasing random packs of glasses here and there every few months to replace those that broke.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Have never heard of the Hercuglass treatment — thanks for sharing!
Kathy Orr says
Tervis makes a “stemmed” wine glass – http://www.amazon.com/Vino2Go-Insulated-Tumbler-Merlot-Through/dp/B009ZHEG68/?tag=theboagal0a-20
Winnie says
We’ve been using these acrylic glasses from Crate and Barrel. They come in several colors now and are also stack-able which is a huge space saver. They run about $3-$4 apiece.
https://www.crateandbarrel.com/search?query=stacking+wine+glasses
Chris G. says
There’s another drink option from a company called Zarcor. I have a couple on my boat and they work great for just about every size you can think of. The top opening is 4 inches so it will fit just about everything including wine bottles and even Pusser’s painkiller mugs. The bottom works for holding traditional stemware although I will say that the shorter the stem the more difficult to get the glass in the holder as you have to tip the base out (or the bowl in) in order to get the bowl to rest on the bottom of the holder. The other option is the dedicate stemware holder.
ida says
A lot of great options to choose from here for wine glasses on the boat. I love wine, and know how important the glass is to the flavor. I also know that on a boat there’s a higher risk of breaking glass, so the heartier the material the better. At this small online store, Kitchenova, they carry stainless steel wine glasses for a couple dollars less than the amazon link and they ship free. Using plastic tumblers is a brilliant idea, also!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Umm, free shipping on orders over $25 and the set of 2 stainless wine glasses is $24.99 . . . so you’ll have to buy something extra (or two sets) to get the free shipping.
Jeanie says
I was wondering if anyone else has tried using some kind of wine glass “socks” for rack hanging glasses to prevent breakage? I have heard of people using socks, hair scrunchies, and even custom made covers for their stem ware.
Carolyn Shearlock says
I used hair scrunchies: https://theboatgalley.com/stop-clanking-glasses/
Diane Ericsson says
We bought 4 stainless steel wine glasses with non-skid on the bottoms from West Marine in 1998. They’ve been used a few thousand times now. No problems yet.
CherylAnn Caf says
We use the stemless at anchor & our stainless steel drink bottles on the beach. !!
Dave Skolnick (S/V Auspicious) says
We use Reidel stemless crystal. We’ve broken one in eight years. They feel good in your hand and on your lips. There are a number of sizes available and the smaller ones fit nicely in standard size cup holders.
peggy at ECY says
Stemless just seem to spill less for us. We have stainless steel and although we have never broken one and they fit in the cup holders, they are too top heavy and fit too loosely in shallow cup holders built into the binnacle… and that seems to be the most natural place to put them… we haven’t used them once and not have someone spill red wine.
the thin stemless with the thumb print, brand begins with a Z but I can’t remember how to spell it… is our favorite.
amy says
LLBean sells a plastic stem wine glass which nests the base into the cup, and allows for easy storage. We have had them on our boat for years. They are sturdy, don’t crack, and surprisingly well built for a plastic cup. I worried that the “screw” would wear out, or they would come apart during a sip and spill red wine everywhere. Never a problem. They are cheap, @ 7.95, and LLBean usually warranties their products for reasonable use.
Janet says
I have used plastic wine glasses in which the stem screws into the bowl. I love them, they store with the stem inside the bowl making them compact. After years, one has started to leak. I would love to replace them. Do you know of any source for this item?
Thank you,
Janet
Carolyn Shearlock says
Sure do! They’re made by GSI Outdoors and Amazon carries them — click here! Various outdoors stores (REI) also usually have them but I almost always find that Amazon has the best price, especially if you have Prime and get free shipping.
Lesley Feeney says
Just got these ⚓️
The Boat Galley says
I haven’t seen them before. Look cute and I like the different colors to tell whose is whose. Glass or plastic?
Lesley Feeney says
Glass- they make awesome containers and water bottles, too
Chris says
Not really a wine glass find but rather a wine glass holder. I got a couple of these at the Annapolis show from a company called Zarcor (Zarcor.com). They work great for just about everything you can think of including stemware. They even hold a Pusser’s painkiller mug.
https://zarcor.com/products/snapit/index.php
Rick Garvin says
We use the Vini2Go insulated transparent wine glasses that fit cup holders, but have a stemware aesthetic. For groups, the GoVino flexible plastic stemless are pretty go, but here in the VI they can blow over since they are quite light.
Bibi says
Sea Style Beach & Boats offers a large variety of glassware that is specifically designed for your galley, as well as outdoor use. Break resistant, dishwasher safe (top rack/low heat), as well as some with a non-slip ring.
Allan Cobb says
I’ve grown fond of the silicone wine glasses. No taste, flexible, and unbreakable. I like the silicone pint glasses, too.
https://amzn.to/3ijVX0y
Shawn Harlan says
I have trouble drinking wine out of anything other than glass/crystal. Riedel wine glasses typically are very expensive however Target sells a version that is still spectacular and no stem, i keep them in the box so they dont break.
https://www.target.com/p/riedel-22oz-2pk-crystal-vivant-pinot-noir-stemless-wine-glasses/-/A-79941166#lnk=sametab
Tami Steel says
We love these. Glasses with silicone sleeves. They come in 2 sizes and different colors. We boat with kids, so they have sustained the drop test for sure! https://lifefactory.com/collections/wine-glasses
The Boat Galley says
Those look really interesting . . .
Tami Steel says
The Boat Galley they are great, best of both worlds!
Roger Johnson says
This is also what we have.
Kristin Thompson Nelson says
I have these after trying many – love them!
Tami says
This tami has those too. So far so good…
Dave Skolnick says
We have six each of the Chardonnay and Cabernet glasses by Riedel. One breakage in ten years and that was while washing up at the dock.
Kristi Black says
We haven’t even bought our boat yet and I have already bought the Govina shatterproof stemless glasses specifically for “boatlife.” Cheers!
Ron Vavra says
Looking for stemless plastic glasses that fit in boat drink holders but come in colors or designs.
Need them as a gift for my wife’s birthday…soon. She likes colors/cute designs. She has some now that fit the bill except that they look and feel cheap. Any suggestions?
Carolyn Shearlock says
I’ll look and see if I can find any but I don’t know of any right off the top of my head.
Ron Vavra says
Thanks, but I just happened upon some at a place called Pottery Plus in town. Little anchors on them which hopefully will appeal to my bride.
Sailor Cindy says
We use stemmed glass wine glasses that must be short enough to fit in our plate/glass lockers. I store them in fluffy cotton ankle socks I bought for that purpose so if they accidentally break underway, the glass pieces are contained. One or two have indeed broken while underway and the socks contained the mess.
Anonymous says
Dylan Kussrow
Anonymous says
Leah Shaffer
Anonymous says
Debbie Jackson
Lisa says
We used to only use stemmed wine glasses and we were fine with just the 2 of us. But whenever we’ve had guests onboard after a sail or race, invariably one of them either knocks one over or the wind knocks over an empty wineglass that was not put back into the drink holder. Since we appreciate wine and drink out of Riedels on land, we held out for a long time on getting stemless wine glasses. And most do not fit our teak drink holder. But we’ve settled on Govino plastic glasses. They fit easily in the drink holders and they even make a stemless champagne glass. Favorite part is the indented thumb area so they’re easier to hold. Now the biggest issue is keeping the wine cold and for that we swear by the Corksicle wine keeper- holds a whole bottle of white and stays cold for 24 hours. (Of course we usually need less than 2 hours to finish the bottle just ourselves!) We bring it to friends’ boats if we’re going for cocktails or dinner.
Anonymous says
Need ones that keep their own level and don’t tip. Like the crew on the monohull we met at Lorde Howe!
Anonymous says
These from crate and barrel are a good option..i like glass better, but guests tend to be careless and they get broken; also tried the silicone covered stemless glasses and the glass is very fragile…these stack and wash well..happy with them for now
Maximilian says
I have always found that drinks don’t taste the same when using plastic drinking cups, we like stemless wine glasses… but then I came across this – a website called http://www.butlertechnik.com have these MAGNETIC CRYSTAL WINE GLASSES! and champagne, beer, whiskey.. regular ones too. What a solution! There is a gel-backed coaster that sticks to everything – it is magnetic, then the bottom of the glass has a magnet built in and that sticks to the coaster. Very high quality, very stylish, wine taste great and doesn’t fall over! We got a pair of the glasses and will definitely be getting more.
Here is the link – https://www.butlertechnik.com/installation-accessories-c63/silwy-magnetic-systems-c140
Highly recommend.
Carolyn Shearlock says
A different brand, but I’ve written about the magnetic glasses: Crystal Wine Glasses