About the same time macramé was popular, some of us were delving into the newly fashionable pastime of making our own beverage tumblers. The gadget we used cut a beer or wine bottle cleanly across the middle and rendered a handsome, thick glass mug perfect for a party or informal get-together (if a little finishing was necessary, no worries: the sandpaper was included). I think the gadget was made by Ronco.

Since those days of wine-bottle mugs, many of us have slowly evolved into stemware snobs. With no fewer than 52 different wineglass shapes to contend with, a simple wine drinker could end up with as much invested in crystal as in wine. The experts tell us that each shape is uniquely designed to enhance a certain type of wine.

The trouble is that this notion is true. The shape and quality of the glass you use to enjoy wine do directly affect your pleasure from that wine. It's no mystery why this works; science and experience have proven it. Therefore, there are a few important factors when considering stemware for your wine.

Two of the most important are the shape and size of the glass. Think of wine as a layered cake. If you eat one layer at a time, it will still taste great, but the objective of the chef was to create something that when tasted all together was incredible. Wine is similar; you have fruit, acidity, tannins and every flavor under the sun. When you taste your wine, you don't want the experience one layer at a time—you want to taste the combination of them all. The glass shape and size dramatically affect this enjoyment. Although it sounds impossible, the type of wine will have an ideal glass shape that will give maximum enjoyment to the drinker. It may be a rim that slightly bends into the glass or out from the glass, or a very large bowl, or a very tall slim glass; the list is as endless as there are styles of wine. If you ever have the opportunity to taste the same wine in several different types of glasses, you will prove this concept to yourself.

Classically, wine should be served in small—3- or 4-ounce—portions in a glass that will accommodate a big healthy swirling action without splattering your favorite white shirt (or your guests). This large bowl also enhances the breakdown of aromas so that when you swirl, you can get a great sniff from the middle of the glass. Red wines generally need more room to break down these components; that's why the typical Bordeaux or cabernet glass is about twice the size of a typical chardonnay glass. Some specialty red-wine glasses have a capacity of 25 ounces—about the size of a Big Gulp—to ensure that aromas are sufficiently stirred up and the layers all blend.

Another factor is the quality of the glass or crystal. A big part of the appreciation of wine is the enjoyment of its colors. A great wineglass will be clear and free of designs or etching; only a thin layer of glass or crystal is between you and the beautiful hues of the wine. When you tip the glass over slightly and elongate the surface of the wine, the glass should be fine enough to allow light to penetrate and show off the layers of color. The rim of the wine might be clear, or brickish or slightly purple, while the middle of the wine will be deep blue black or garnet. Each layer of color tells a story about the age and type of the wine.

Temperature is an important factor in tasting wine. Each type of wine has a perfect temperature, but even if you start out at that perfect temp or a little cooler, the wine will quickly change and adapt to the ambient temperature. The heat transfer from your hand to the glass of wine greatly accelerates this process, as glass is a pretty good conductor. This is where the stem comes in. A long stem on the glass gives you something to hold and swirl without transferring your body heat to the wine, and therefore the wine will stay at near-perfect temp for much longer.

Now we come full circle back to our Ronco roots, with the great Riedel Wine Glass Company's introduction of the "wine tumbler." Simply put, it is a wineglass without a stem or base. Seven different sizes accommodate your wine collection. At nearly half the price of their low-end designed stemware, the "O" series is catching on with both wine connoisseurs and wine novices.

When I first saw the "O" series set before me, I chuckled and told the salesperson they reminded me of jelly jars. OK, maybe they are a notch or two above the Smucker's jars that I used as juice glasses for years, but only a notch or two.

What happened to all the scientific research regarding shape, size and temperature? What happened to our delicate sensitivities that we have sharpened to an enviable skill? Are we going back to the days of flowers in our hair, bare feet and a tumbler full of wine?

I hope so, I really do.

Besides, we would do well to adopt a more European attitude about wine.

Cara Finn is the owner of The Grapevine, a fine wine and cheese store and tasting bar. She can be reached at 408.293.7574 or at info@grapevine-wg.com.