The Best Way To Clean Your Wine Glasses And Make Them Sparkle

A sparkling clean wine glass always makes a drink look (and taste) so much better, but if you find that yours often appear dull, cloudy, or smudged, then it's easy enough to rectify. To get expert tips on achieving crystal-clear glasses, Food Republic consulted Maximilian Riedel, the 11th generation CEO and President of the Riedel wine glass company.

Firstly, there's no one-size-fits-all approach. "The best way to clean your wine glass depends on the glassware at hand," says Riedel. It's best to check the care instructions for your particular product before washing it, and the best method also depends how delicate the vessels are. "For Riedel glassware, many of our glasses are dishwasher safe, although some ultra-thin, mouth-blown glasses will do better with manual care," says Riedel. 

Despite what you might think, it's often perfectly fine to clean wine glasses in the dishwasher, especially sturdier ones. Make sure they're well-secured on the rack and consider using less detergent or a gentler brand, if you're just washing glasses by themselves. If you're washing by hand, you only need a tiny drop of detergent per glass, and rinse them thoroughly to avoid a soapy taste in your drink. Or go for glassware-cleaning liquids, which are often free of perfumes. Before you add soap, pouring a little warm water into the bowl of the glass and letting it sit for a few minutes or even overnight will dilute wine stains, making cleaning easier.

Once you've washed your wine glasses, you can either let them air dry on a dish rack or drying mat, or use a gentle cleaning cloth to dry them. Either way, to get a truly sparkling result, you'll then need to polish the glasses. Maximilian Riedel recommends using microfiber polishing cloths, rather than a standard towel, for a lint-free finish. Of course, the cloths themselves also need to be flawlessly clean to avoid smudges. Wash them "without fabric softener, to avoid a greasy film residue," says Riedel, "at a high temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit to kill bacteria."

For a fingerprint-free finish, it's worth using two cloths at once to polish the glasses. Riedel advises to start by polishing the bowl: "Hold the glass with a drying cloth directly under the bowl with one hand or place the bowl in one hand and carefully polish the inside and outside of the bowl with the other hand using the second drying cloth."

When polishing the base, avoid holding the glassware by the stem, as it's very delicate and pressure from rubbing the glass could break it. And don't use a twisting action to polish, as this could also cause the stem to snap. "To polish the base plate, hold it firmly with one hand and polish it carefully with the other hand," suggests Riedel.

If your wine glasses look especially cloudy, then you can use a few extra tricks to make cleaning even more effective. Get them looking crystal clear again with a little distilled white vinegar. Warm up the liquid and allow the glassware to soak in it for an hour, before gently scrubbing the interior and exterior with a bottle brush or specialized glass-cleaning brush. Then rinse the glasses well in warm water, and use a soft microfiber cloth to dry and polish them as usual.

When glasses are badly stained, often due to holding red wine, try using a mixture of equal amounts of vinegar and baking soda — a great way to naturally clean your kitchen. Let the mixture rest in the bowl of the glass for three to five minutes to work its magic before washing and drying. Or, try steaming the glasses before washing them by holding them over a cup of hot water.

Overwhelmed by the workload? To reduce the number of glasses you have to clean, consider using a medium-sized all-purpose glass that can be used to serve any drink, rather than offering separate sizes for different wines. Or, if you're hosting a large party and want to avoid the cleaning process, take a tip from Ina Garten and consider renting glassware instead. It can be returned without washing, meaning you get all the hosting joy with none of the hassle.