Should You Drink Wine From a Plastic Cup?

Say you are throwing a party, but you've invited more guests than you have wine glasses. Is it okay to serve wine out of plastic cups? Of course it is! But just like glassware, the trick is to find the right glasses, or cup in this case.

A plastic cup at a well-to-do function.

In addition to the perception of drinking wine from a plastic cup, there are two real issues to address. The shape of the cup is the first obstacle. A narrow base with a wide mouth is the worst possible shape for a wine glass, as it exposes more of the wine to air, causing it to oxidize quicker, losing the light, bright flavors of the simple wines that you're most likely going to be pouring at a garden party. Small cups, with equally small pours are going to be the simplest option. Of course, there are plastic wine glasses that you can buy, if you need them often enough.

The other problem with plastic glasses is that most cheap plastic cups can give off an obvious smell of plastic. While this might not be noticeable against beer or soda, it can overpower the natural smells of light wines, and ruin the taste. This is a little harder to overcome, and really just requires a bit of trial and error to find a brand that doesn't ruin the smell of your wine.

So, we think there is definitely a need for plastic at times, but we prefer glass whenever possible.