The complete guide
Choosing Shatter-Resistant Red Wine Glasses
A red wine glass gets the roughest handling of any glass in the house: carried out to a poolside table, set down on an uneven deck, passed hand to hand at a dinner party, stowed in a boat locker for the weekend. That's the case for shatter-resistant plastic over real glass for red wine, and it's worth knowing what actually makes a plastic glass shatter-resistant before you buy one.
Why Tritan-style red wine glasses look and feel like glass
Tritan-style red wine glasses look like glass until you drop one. Cheaper clear plastics lose their shine after a few trips through the dishwasher, but a glass made from Tritan-style copolyester keeps its clarity and shine through repeated washing, so it still looks the part months after you bought it.
Built for red wine: the wide bowl
Red wine glasses are shaped differently to white wine or champagne glasses for a reason. The larger bowl on this glass lets air come into contact with more of the wine's surface, which suits medium to full-bodied reds and helps the wine open up as you drink it. It's the same shape principle used in glass stemware, just in a shatter-resistant plastic that won't end the night in pieces.
The three types of shatter-resistant plastic drinkware
Genuinely shatter-resistant plastic glasses are made from one of three plastics: polycarbonate, Tritan-style copolyester, or polypropylene. Glasses made from other plastics, like acrylic or SAN, aren't truly shatter-resistant. They're sometimes labelled "break-resistant" or "shatter-resistant," but they can still crack if dropped on a hard surface.
Here's the breakdown of the three main types.
1. Tritan-style copolyester
Tritan-style copolyester is fast replacing polycarbonate as the preferred material for shatter-resistant glasses that look like real glass. It was developed as a BPA-free alternative to polycarbonate, which contains BPA. Whether you're after red wine glasses, white wine glasses, or stemware, you'll find it made from this type of copolyester.
2. Polycarbonate
Plastic glasses can also be made from durable polycarbonate. Like Tritan-style copolyester, polycarbonate glasses are shatter-resistant, dishwasher safe, and deliver a glass-like look. Polycarbonate is a tried-and-tested material that holds up for years in both commercial and household use, and it's common in busy restaurants, hotels, and outdoor or poolside service.
3. Polypropylene
Polypropylene glasses are more casual than the glass-like Tritan-style and polycarbonate options. They're low-cost and come in solid colours or semi-opaque finishes. Polypropylene has a softer, slightly rubbery feel than glass-like drinkware, closer to the plastic used in kitchen storage containers, and it's a popular choice for kids' drinking glasses and casual events.
What to avoid: acrylic and SAN plastic
Acrylic and a related blend called SAN plastic are durable and reasonably priced, but they aren't as tough as polycarbonate, Tritan-style copolyester, or polypropylene. The main difference is that acrylic and SAN glasses can crack if dropped on tile or another hard surface, unlike genuinely shatter-resistant drinkware.
Suited to dinner parties, poolside, and boats
This glass holds 450ml (15oz), the larger size suited to red wine, and is sold per glass so you only order the number you actually need. It's a practical choice for dinner parties, poolside entertaining, boats, and any outdoor setting where you want a proper wine glass but can't risk the breakage.
Care and cleaning
This glass is BPA free and dishwasher safe. Avoid abrasive scourers or harsh scouring pads, which can dull the clear finish over time. Washed like a normal glass, it keeps its shine wash after wash.