In general, I prefer my wine glasses to have stems. I promise it’s not just because they feel fancier and I’m a sucker for fancy. Stems really do help keep the wine in the glass away from warm hands, allowing the wine’s temperature to stay cooler, longer.

That said, there are times when a stemless glass just makes sense. They’re good to have around for when you want a more casual glass of wine, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re flexible for use as water, juice, whisky, rum…whatever you want glasses.

I tend to use them as water glasses at wine tastings, since they can be used in a pinch to compare two wines without pulling out more glasses.

If you want to make even your stemless glasses fancier, check out the Wine & Water Glasses from Jancis Robinson by Richard Brendon. And if you live somewhere hot (like me, when I lived in Austin, Texas), a few of these YETI wine tumblers are great for outdoor summer sipping and for places where glass isn’t allowed or just isn’t smart (think bare feet in sand).