For years, the most common crystal designers crafted their wineglasses with lead oxide admixtures. Lead oxides give wineglasses extra luster, since the molecular structure of these oxides helps to refract light in interesting ways. Leaded glass tends to weigh more, look fancier, and sell for much higher both at retail and at auction.

However, several years ago, studies came out which suggested that drinking from lead wineglasses may constitute a health hazard. The lead oxides contained in wineglasses can leach out into acidic liquids. Thus, people who drink from lead wineglasses day in and day out may expose themselves to potentially harmful amounts of lead. After this research gained wide renowned, leading wineglass manufacturers, like Wedgwood, Waterford, and Rosenthal, reworked some of their famous wine glass lines to lower their lead oxide contents.

Some oenophiles (wine lovers) believe that wineglasses can influence the actual taste of certain wines. It is well known that wineglasses should be chilled prior to serving white wine. Red wine, on the other hand, should be served in room temperature glasses. True connoisseurs have developed a host of other rules to promote the best possible wine drinking experience.

It's common practice for an oenophile to test a wine's 'legs' by swishing the liquid around the bottom of a glass. A robust and good wine will run unctuously down the side of a glass. Oenophiles prefer clear crystalline wineglasses to color-infused glasses, since colored glasses tend to obscure the natural hues of wines.