Not to seem like a lush, but there’s something elegant about a glass of wine from a nice piece of stemware. Each type of wine is supposed to be sipped out of a specific glass–it all has to do with how factors such as temperature and air exposure (oxidation) affect the wine’s flavor. These ‘little’ things aside, it’s about the experience. The packaging, the stemware, the fare you might be nibbling on–everything. It all adds up. Pieces like this lovely decanter from Riedel Crystal add a certain elegance to any meal.

I  haven’t set in stone that I’ll be doing anything for stemware, but I’m definitely playing with the idea. At the moment it’s between stemware and cookbook companies. In any case, this is an excellent example of one component of the dining experience.