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wine glass cleaning guides

How to clean your wine glasses

by: Kitchen Warehouse | January 1, 2020
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4 SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR WINE GLASS SPOTLESSLY CLEAN

Do you ever wonder why your wine glasses don’t come up sparkling clean? Yes, you’ve had a lifetime of experience washing ordinary glasses, but sometimes you find that you can’t remove the “spots” or water marks in a wine glass, much less make it spotlessly clean.

Let’s take a look at the wine glasses first. They have odd shapes and areas that you can’t always reach by hand. Also, some wine glasses are made of delicate crystal which will chip and break if placed carelessly into the dishwasher.

So let’s de-mystify this process, because it’s not hard to thoroughly clean a glass; you just need to know how to do it properly.

HOW TO CLEAN A WINE GLASS?

There are many ways to clean a wine glass. Just take a look at our cleaning guide below:

The first method is probably the simplest way to clean your wine glass. It is also the one recommended by none other than Ray Foley, the author of Bartending for Dummies. Rinse your wine glass a couple of times with hot water until no residual wine remains. It is recommended to use water at 83°C or above, since this is the ideal temperature to sterilise your wine glass. Allow to air dry by putting it upside down on a clean towel.

You can also clean your wine glass with a very mild detergent. Place a small drop of detergent in the glass. Partially fill with hot water, and hold the bowl while sponging with the other hand to remove wine stain. Make sure to rinse thoroughly. To avoid the soap contaminating the flavour of the wine, put detergent only on the bottom and rim of the wine glass. If hot water and detergent don’t work, use washing or baking soda to dissolve the residual wine in the glass.

Non-crystal and short-stemmed wine glasses can be cleaned in a dishwasher. If the glass is non-greasy, wash it on the shortest cycle. For a dirtier glass, use just a very small amount of detergent and don’t use rinse aid. After the cycle, remove immediately and wipe with a cotton dish towel.

For lipstick and greasy stains, simply wipe the wine glass carefully with a paper towel before washing. After washing, some prefer air drying, while others think it’s more effective to use glass cloth to remove persistent spots. If you’re going to use a cloth to wipe the glass, make sure to use microfibre cloths.

Also, if you want to absolutely make sure that no soap residues remain, here is a useful trick: steam clean the glass by holding it upside down over a pan of boiling water. This also works for a stained wine glass. Position the wine glass above a kettle at a safe angle, until the stained area fogs up. Wipe the wine glass carefully with a cloth.

It is essential that you clean your wine glasses for hygiene and for visual clarity. A sparkling clean wine glass will elevate the olfactory and aesthetic senses when partaking of your favourite wine and whether you are a quaffer, a wine enthusiast or a connoisseur of fine wines, you deserve a clean wine glass, every time.