But no picnic is complete without a nice, refreshing glass of something or the other, so we’ve found the best picnic wine glasses for enjoying your favourite tipple on the go.
From sophisticated to fun, picnic wine glasses come in all shapes and sizes. Pretty much all of them are made from plastic, though – with a few exceptions.
Whether you’re looking for the cut-glass look while taking in some outdoor theatre, or something fabulous and fun, there’s a picnic wine glass for you.
Our top tip: check the size of your wine glasses if you’re planning on taking them out and about with you (yes, we know that’s the point). They need to fit in a bag, and some of these glasses are huge, which is great for getting the party started, less so for jamming in the cool bag.
We had the glorious task of testing these glasses. They’ve come with us to festivals and picnics and stayed at home around the garden. We were looking for quality; if we’re buying plastic, we at least want to know it won’t end up in landfill come the August bank holiday.
Looks were also paramount, obviously, and capacity. We wanted glasses that were pleasing to hold and drink from – yep, not all are. Lastly, washing: did they look a bit cloudy and tired after being washed, or were they as good as new?
The best picnic wine glasses for 2022 are:
Best overall – Next green logan outdoor wine glasses, set of four: £18, Next.co.uk
Best fun wine glasses – M&S lustre picnic wine glasses, set of four: £15, Marksandspencer.com
Best large capacity glass – The White Company picnic wine glass: £10, Thewhitecompany.com
Best cut-glass look – Lakeland crystal-look acrylic wine glasses, set of four: £19.96, Lakeland.co.uk
Best kitsch wine glass – M&S flamingo picnic wine glasses, set of four: £15, Marksandspencer.com
Best metal wine glass – VonShef gold wine glasses, set of two: £19.99, Vonhaus.com
Best champagne flute – Wilko clear plastic champagne flutes, set of four: £9, Wilko.com
Best real glass glasses – ProCook Lorenzo wine glasses, set of four: £19, Procook.co.uk
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Next green logan outdoor wine glasses, set of four
Continue reading...
Best: Overall
Rating: 10/10
We love these chunky little numbers. They’re incredibly durable, and look as good as new, wash after wash. The plastic is thick, yes, but the capacity is more modest (something we came to value during testing), so they didn’t feel ridiculously heavy. The other obvious bonus to this is they were easy to stick in a picnic basket. The green hue is stylish, and the texture of the plastic makes them look like they’re super-trendy glass – these didn’t at all look plasticky.
When we got these bad boys out, everyone made a pleasing “oooh” noise, and other than actually holding wine, what more do you want from a picnic wine glass? They hold a lot of liquid – we used them for Pimms too because they’re more than up to the task. At 21cm high, they’re not the smallest of wine glasses, but they make an impact and are a bit of fun. Delightfully, M&S has a whole matching range out, so you can go matchy-matchy if you want.
This wine glass is another of the cavernous sort but slightly more refined than some of the other large wine glasses we tried. Made from smooth, tough Tritan, it looks very much like real glass, yet is super strong and looks fantastic even after being chucked about in the picnic basket. Simple, classic and impressively large, it ticks all our boxes.
Lakeland crystal-look acrylic wine glasses, set of four
Continue reading...
Best: Cut-glass look
Rating: 9/10
If you’re looking for something sophisticated and classic, these wine glasses are just the ticket. The cut-glass numbers bring class to a refined picnic – champers, not cava, thanks. They’re one of the smaller picnic wine glasses we tried, but rest assured, they’re still plenty big enough. They’re gently fluted outwards, which makes drinking from them pleasant, and they’re small enough to fit around a few bottles of vino in the cool bag.
We are obsessed with these kitsch wine glasses. They brought us so much joy, even when the British weather turned on our picnic. With a huge capacity, they are ideal for wine and cocktails too. Beware, though, because they’re so big, they can be a little dangerous because it’s tricky to figure out how much you’re actually drinking. They are sizey, so not hugely easy to lug about with you.
If plastic is not your vibe, how about these metal wine glasses? The gold-look goblets are the same ones used on Love Is Blind and are strikingly similar to the ones on Love Island this year. But even if reality TV is not your bag (or should that be “type on paper”?), these wine glasses are still stylish and practical. They’re also thinner to drink from, are easy to clean and relatively lightweight.
Fancy some fizz with your cucumber sandwiches? Wilko has got you with these plastic champagne flutes. We liked that we could still enjoy our bubbles in a flute, even at a picnic. Make no mistake, these flutes aren’t super refined – the plastic is quite thick – but this makes them durable, and you won’t be worried about slinging them in a bag to take with you. And they’re fantastic value for money.
If you really can’t face the idea of quaffing vino from plastic, these ProCook glasses are actually the real deal. But go steady with them – they’re not for the careless amateur picnicker. They are robust enough to be tucked into a hamper, though. They wash brilliantly with no clouding and are delightful to drink from, although quite thick. We liked the blue tinge to them and the goblet feel.
We love the sturdy Next glasses, which look as glass-like as any we came across during testing. If you’re looking for something more fun, M&S has you covered with its flamingo goblets. Club Tropicana, here we come!
Voucher codes
For the latest discount codes on glasses and other kitchenware, try the links below: