We just finished dinner at a restaurant in Sicily that used Zalto glasses. The owner made a point to mention they are the “best in the world” and I must say they are the best I’ve ever drank wine from. They are so light and the lips are ridiculously thin. I looked them up on Amazon and the white wine glasses are $155 for a pair and the red are $170 per pair. Wow. My wife pointed out might be first time the glasses are worth more than the wine! But they are so devine it is tempting to order some, perhaps only enough for ourselves or maybe with very close friends. Clearly they are (careful) hand wash only. Anyone concur they are a good investment? Or they break and don’t bother?
by Mr_Irreverent
29 Comments
I’m a fan and use them in my home. I break a few each year, but never regret my purchase!
I like mine, but I’m afraid to use them honestly.
Outside the wind will blow them over.
Inside I’m always afraid to break them, and it feels rude to tell a guest to be careful… So I just don’t bring them out, like ever lol
They are so incredibly light
You can get Spiegelau Definition for $65/pair. I doubt you’d notice much difference between those and the Zalto’s
I just bought some Glasvin and couldn’t be happier with them. Great alternative at a more approachable price.
I’m a fan. They actually recommend machine washing.
They‘re amazing.
I got a couple of the BDX, directly broke on when drunkenly washing it post purchase. But: they are amazing. Will get more. Won’t pull them out with all guests, but with a select few.
For everyday and all other guests, I got the Spiegelau Definition Universal. Great glasses, just a smidge different. I’ll be getting a lot of use out of them though – have so far tried them with champagne, Riesling, Chablis, and Nebbiolo, and have to say I’m very happy.
I’ve only used Zaltos as everyday glasses. No regrets. At the end of the day, things are meant to be used.
check your plugs for a wholesale option. they don’t need to be that expensive.
also you’re gonna break these by attempting to handwash them vs using a machine
Zaltos are actually made to be broken, it’s ridiculous. For me Rovini is better
I have the Zalto universals and the Zalto champagne glasses, wash the in the dishwasher all the time and so far none of the have broken. For “wild” parties I bring out my Spiegelau Willsberger for champagne and my Spiegelau Authentis for red and whites.
Careful *dishwasher only.
I would not recommend washing by hand, you will break them. They’re fine in the dishwasher with careful placement on the bottom rack or with a special wine glass insert.
They are extremely nice. Whether they’re “worth it” or not is up to you–you can get glasses that are very nearly as nice for much less money. They won’t be quite as light or thin, but you’ll only have whatever level of anxiety the ambient threat of a $30-40 glass breaking gives you relative to the anxiety a $70-80 glass would.
Personally, I stress over these things, so for now I’m content to drink out of Zaltos at restaurants and let them worry about whether I’m going to drop the thing or not. I’ll buy my own someday when I’m older and I really need to treat myself.
In my experience, they are actually more durable than one might think. They have bounced and flexed quite often when other glasses have snapped.
And machine wash in a clean machine with rinse aid is the secret to a long life.
I think the Zalto Burgundy glasses are totally worth it. Bdx not so sure, but they are very nice.
Depends how cack-handed you are 😉
I’ve broken plenty over the years – but they’re still my favourite glass. I even carry a Universal around with me when I go to restaurants just in case they don’t have decent stemware. Just more casual places though – not fine dining or Paris lol
PS I use Definitions for entertaining – they’re still pretty good for less than half the price retail.
They are actually supposed to be washed in the machine.
Worth it is all in the eye of the beholder. If you drink wine often, then they will get plenty of use and so the cost will offset over time … or at least maybe that’s what I tell myself.
As you already mentioned, they’re awesome and if they improve your experience of drinking wine and you can afford it, go for it.
I don’t really let guests use them, we don’t have very many, and frankly most people would probably not want you to give them a wine glass that costs that much it would make them uncomfortable. Of course you could just not mention what they are, and if you’re ok with replacing them on your dime then that’s fine also.
No, buy gabrial glas for less than half that
I’ve got 6 of the universal ones which I love. But now I want the Bordeaux ones. I’ve had one break after being slapped across the room, but any glass would have broken.
I prefer Kurt Zalto’s own company Josephinenhutte, mostly because they seem to be less liable to break that Zaltos. My record with broken glasses is Zalto: 8 (all I had, in less than six weeks), Josephinenhutte: 3 (in two years). Maybe I’m just getting more careful after my six week orgy of expensive wine glass breaking, but I don’t think so. I really do think there’s something about the Josephinenhutte glasses that makes them more break-resistant.
I’m a big fan of them but they must’ve gone up in price since I bought them. I got a pair at $120. Anyways, if you’re drinking expensive wine it’s a necessity. If you’re drinking less than $60 a bottle I’m not sure it’s worth it
Plenty of very reasonably priced and more durable glassware out there for everyday use.
Grab a set of 4 Zalto’s and keep them for special occasions and special wines.
They’re amazing glasses – I have the Bordeaux and plan to pick up a couples Burgundies. I usually pick them up when I’m in Europe for around EUR 50 per glass. Way cheaper than over here in Canada ($120 including tax).
They are great glasses. They are also very breakable. I have proven it.
Fuck yeah, they are.
I bought the Gabriel Glas universals and really liked them….until I got the Josephine no 3’s and have never used the Gabriel Glas’ again lol
Yep, I switched over to them and have been happy for years. I just use the universal ones (a set of 6 that I have) as my anytime glasses. I do have a pair of their champagne glasses which are also sleek…but when it’s a nice vintage champagne I just use the regular universal ones. Personally I just hand wash them and had only had to replace one in the 5+ years I originally got them.
I also enjoy the Spiegelau just as much as I did my Zalto.
Had the Zalto glass for a couple years, and broke it during the pandemic. Went to Amazon to replace, but they were virtually unavailable at the time. Someone on here recommended the Spiegelau as a replacement, and I haven’t missed the Zalto since.
It might be worth noting I had the Burgundy Zalto and replaced it with its equivalent Spiegelau iteration.
I’m new to the wine world. What is the difference between zaltos and regular glasses?
They are okay. If I were you I’d go with the ohverly prycee white Cabernet glasses. You’ll never go back!