Vintage glasses

Start with the relief, because it determines the look more than the shape does. Vertical ridges make a glass appear slimmer and are characteristic of the art deco style. Pressed floral and bee motifs are rounder and more rustic, and come from the French tradition. A smooth wall with only a heavy base looks very 1950s. Choose one visual language and stick to it across the table, because placing two types of relief next to each other looks messy rather than curated.

Then consider the size, and that is where the surprise lies. A vintage wine glass is smaller than a modern one: around 32 to 33 cl, whereas a contemporary red wine glass quickly reaches 45 cl. That is not a shortcoming but the standard of the time, because a 12 cl pour still leaves plenty of room in such a bowl. For water and soft drinks, choose tumblers of 34 to 35 cl; for an aperitif, liqueur glasses of around 11 cl; and for sparkling drinks, choose between a 17 cl flute and a coupe of 16 cl. It is best to limit colored glass to a single shade alongside clear glass.

Vintage glassware looks best with colored drinks. The relief refracts the light, and you only see that when something shines through it: an amber negroni in a low faceted glass, or a kir royal in which the crème de cassis rises from the bottom. Clear water in a ribbed glass is beautiful, but the effect is only half there.

Pour a little less than you are used to. The old measurements were based on smaller portions, and with a 33 cl wine glass, fill it to just below the widest point, so about one-third full. Alternate colored and clear glasses on the table instead of using one color per person; it looks like a collection built up over time rather than a purchase. And turn the relief toward the guest when a glass has a motif on only one side.

Pressed glass is thicker than blown glass and therefore less fragile, but the relief does hold on to more. Limescale and drying marks creep into the grooves and are harder to polish out of there than off a smooth wall. Wash on a short programme, rinse afterwards with clean water and dry while the glass is still warm; the rest then evaporates by itself. A dash of vinegar in the rinsing water removes stubborn limescale rings.

The exception is the gold rim. It is vapour-deposited and wears faster in the dishwasher than the glass beneath, certainly at high temperatures and with aggressive tablets. Wash glasses with gold by hand in lukewarm suds and do not use a scouring pad. For the rest, the usual rule applies: store them upright so the rim rests on nothing, and do not let stems touch one another in the basket.

If you are looking for vintage pieces in one particular series, most of the selection comes through the brand. Turkish Pasabahce reissues its historic pressed-glass molds in complete lines, from water pitchers to liqueur glasses, so you can set an entire table in one style. If you are specifically looking for heavier, rustic French pressed glass with bee and floral motifs, then look to La Rochère. And if you only want the old-fashioned shape without the relief, take a look at the regular tumblers and wine glasses in the menu on the right.