Wine Accessories and Glasses

Throughout the history of wine, decanters have played a significant role in the serving of wine. The wine decanters would be filled with wine from amphoras and brought to the table where they could be more easily handled by a single serving.

The ancient Romans pioneered the use of glass as a material. After the fall of the Roman Empire, glass production was scarce, causing the majority of decanters to be made of bronze, silver, gold or earthenware. The Venetians reintroduced glass decanters during the Renaissance period and pioneered the style of a long slender neck that opens to a wide body increasing the exposed surface area of the wine allowing it to react with air. In the 1730’s, British glassmakers introduced the stopper to limit the exposure to air. Since then, there has been little change to the basic aspects of the decanter.