Best Wine Glasses to Use on a Boat

The best wine glasses for a boat are Govino’s redesigned unbreakable wine glasses. But that’s not the whole story: plenty of boaters (me included) keep more than one type aboard. Govino for everyday use, something lidded for the dinghy or a buggy anchorage, and maybe real glass for entertaining at the dock.

Here’s what I actually use and recommend, organized by what you’re trying to do.

My Top Pick: Govino Unbreakable Wine Glasses

Govino recently redesigned their entire line, and the new ones are made from Tritan instead of the soft, flexible plastic they used to use. They look like real glass. They have a thumb notch that keeps the glass from slipping when the boat rolls or your hands are wet. They fit most boat drink holders. They won’t shatter if they fall. And the smooth, rounded lip feels like drinking out of a real wine glass, not like the metallic shock of stainless or the hard molded edge of cheaper plastic.

After several weeks of using them, they’re the wine glasses I reach for, on the boat or at home. I wrote up a full review of the redesigned Govinos here if you want the details.

Govino makes two wine sizes:

• White wine, 12 oz, the everyday size, fits drink holders easily
• Red wine, 16 oz, taller than the white but the same diameter, so it fits the same drink holders

Where to buy:

• Direct from Govino: full line, free shipping over $40
• Govino white wine glasses, 12 oz (Amazon)
• Govino red wine glasses, 16 oz (Amazon)

If You Want Real Glass: Traditional Stemmed

Some boaters (especially those entertaining at the dock or anchored somewhere calm) want a real glass wine glass with a stem. I get it. There’s something about the look and feel that even Tritan can’t quite match.

I like Vikko’s 8.5 oz wine glasses (Amazon). They work for either red or white. The glass is heavy enough (especially in the stem, the most vulnerable spot) that they hold up better than most. They’re also less top-heavy than many wine glasses, which makes them less likely to tip.

The catch with any stemmed glass on a boat is that it doesn’t fit in a drink holder. That’s a real problem the moment a wake hits or someone steps wrong. The solution is the Yoebi.

The Yoebi is a drink-holder insert specifically designed for stemmed glassware. You slide the base of the glass into a slot under the top of the insert, with the stem coming up through the opening, so the glass is held by its foot and can’t tip or slide out. To take a sip, just slide it back out. It works for wine glasses, martini glasses, and brandy snifters.

SeaSucker now sells the Yoebi as an insert that slides into a standard drink holder. It fits any standard 3.5″ drink holder: if a regular foam koozie fits, the Yoebi fits.

For the Dinghy or Buggy Anchorages: Spillproof Cups

There are nights when wine in any open glass (even a Govino) isn’t the right call. Dinghy rides where you’re getting splashed. Anchorages where every bug for a mile finds your glass within five minutes. These call for a lid.

Two options worth knowing about:

The Contigo Kids Cups (Amazon) are an improved sippy cup. Totally spill-proof, leak-proof even if it tips, and small enough to fit any drink holder. Yes, they’re technically kids’ cups. They also hold 14 oz of wine and won’t spill in a rolly anchorage, which is what matters. They come in sets of two.

The Southern Homewares Wine 2Go (Amazon) is designed for the job: an acrylic wine glass inside an acrylic tumbler with a drink-through lid. Holds 16 oz. Looks much more like a wine glass than a kids’ cup.

A few things to know about the Wine 2Go:

• The lid is great for keeping bugs out
• Don’t wash it in hot water; acrylic crazes and cracks with heat
• It can clank against other glasses underway, so wrap a fuzzy hair tie around each to muffle the noise and prevent scratches

Between the two, the Contigo is more boat-proof. The Wine 2Go is more wine-glass-shaped. Pick based on which matters more to you.

What I’d Skip

A few options come up often enough to mention, but none of them are what I’d buy:

Stemless real-glass wine glasses (like Libbey Vina). Better than stemmed for boat use because they fit some drink holders, but they’re still breakable, and the Govino does everything a stemless real-glass glass does without the breakage risk.

Polycarbonate plastic stemless (like Strahl). Similar concept to Govino but doesn’t match the Tritan material, the thumb notch, or the polished lip. If Govino didn’t exist, this would be my choice, but Govino exists.

Stainless steel wine glasses. Nearly unbreakable, but the metallic taste and the hard rim against your lips ruin it for me. Also, on hot days they sweat enough to leave puddles. Some people like them; I don’t.

Silicone wine glasses. Genuinely indestructible, but they feel rubbery against your mouth and the wine inside looks dull through the opaque silicone. If unbreakability is the only thing you care about, fine, but you can do better.

Quick Recap

Most boaters can solve the wine-glass problem with one set. If you want more than one, here’s how I’d think about it:

Dinghy, beach, or buggy anchorage: Wine 2Go (Amazon) or Contigo Kids Cup (Amazon)

Everyday use, fits any situation: Govino: white 12 oz or red 16 oz

Real glass for dock entertaining: Vikko stemmed (Amazon) plus a Yoebi holder

Outfitting the Rest of Your Galley

Glasses are just one piece of setting up a galley. Our book, The Boat Galley Cookbook, has a whole chapter on equipping a boat galley, from the gear that earns its space to what you can skip. Then come 800+ recipes designed for real boat kitchens, plus over 150 ingredient substitutions.

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