How long have wine glasses been around?

From gold and silver to glass

Just how much does the quality of your wine glass affect the quality, and your enjoyment, of your favorite varietal?  It was a long, long time ago (try 23 AD) that gold and silver drinking glasses were gradually being replaced by their glass counterparts.  In the fifteenth century modern style stem and foot glasses took the form of enameled goblets, and by the end of the sixteenth century engraved decorations were commonplace.  In the early eighteenth century crystal wine glasses and twist stems gained popularity, and during the nineteenth century glasses were produced in sets based on the beverage they would contain (port, sherry, burgundy, champagne, liqueur, etc.).  In the 1950's stemware manufacturers took this a step further, designing unique sizes and shapes for almost every wine varietal. 

What about those "stemless" wine glasses?

Stemless wine glasses ("tumblers"), which are recently gaining in popularity, have actually been around for some time.  In Italy, believe it or not, stemless glasses are more common than stemmed ones.  Stay tuned for an article that discusses tumblers in more detail.