How to Arrange Glasses on Your Table According to Etiquette (And Which Ones to Choose)

You have a special event planned, and you want to make a good impression with a very elegant and perfect table that follows all the rules required by etiquette according to etiquette. Once you have figured out how to arrange the cutlery, there is a second element that confuses everyone: the glasses.

An elegant dinner means that there will certainly be something to drink besides water, from wine to sparkling wine, to liqueur to accompany desserts. In fact, each drink has its own particular type of glass, but you certainly can't fill the table with glasses. So what to do? Here are the rules and advice to follow, according to etiquette, regarding which and how many glasses to put on the table and how to arrange them correctly.

Glasses According to Etiquette: How Many And Which Ones to Put on The Table

As you can imagine, you can't put a glass for every single type of drink you're going to offer on the table, both because the table would be too crowded and for a question of space, and you probably don't even have such a high number of glasses available for all your guests. The traditional rule of etiquette requires that there be a maximum of five glasses for each place setting: one for water, two for wine (one for white and one for red), a glass for bubbles and a glass for dessert wine.

These are the general provisions for particularly formal dinners, but obviously it depends on the situation, the space and the menu you intend to propose. In the absence of space or in the presence of fewer proposals in terms of drinks, etiquette allows for only the two most necessary glasses, the one for water and the glass for wine; the second glass will be useful only if you intend to offer more types of wine during the meal. In this case, if you do not have enough space on the table, it will be your responsibility to change the glass from time to time.

As for champagne, sparkling wine or a special drink designed for the occasion, if you want to offer it as an appetizer, the appropriate glass must already be present at the table and then removed before the first course arrives. If it is planned for the end of the entire meal, you can bring it to the table at the appropriate time. If you have planned a dessert wine, you can skip putting the appropriate glass on the table immediately and bring it to each guest only at the end of the meal and after removing the other glasses of the meal, except for the water glass.

How to Arrange Glasses Correctly

Once you have clarified the question of how many and which glasses to prepare for your dinner, you also need to know how to arrange them on the table in the correct way. First of all, you must never present them upside down but must place them upright, perfectly clean and ready to be used by your guests. Etiquette explains that the glasses should be placed in front of the plate in the upper part, moved to the right.

A good reference point is the wine glass, which should be placed at the tip of the innermost serving knife, while the water glass is more towards the center. If you are serving both white and red wine, the latter is placed in front of the tip of the knife, while the other to its right, and if you have space for the glasses for bubbles and dessert wine, you should place them behind the table wine glass.

More Tips for The Perfect Mise en Place

If you are organizing a formal event, avoid paper or plastic glasses, which are certainly practical but not very elegant, and also pay attention to the material the glasses are made of and to their decoration: it is recommended to opt for crystal and glass glasses, in a color or decoration that is in accordance with the general mood of the table setting.

Also remember to carefully evaluate the space you have available on the table, because the guest must be comfortable and each diner must have the freedom to move and move the cutlery without the risk of accidentally dropping or moving the glasses. When choosing how many glasses to put, therefore, consider that it is good to always leave the right space between glasses, plates and cutlery.

Etiquette also has specific rules regarding pouring drinks, in particular there is a whole etiquette relating to wine: remember above all that the glass should never be filled to the brim, it is rude, as you risk spilling its contents when you bring it to your mouth, and, consequently, also staining the tablecloth or your clothes.