![]() One night, about “half a bottle of wine in,” Leary emailed him, proposing a collaboration. Specializing in handcrafted furniture and home goods for his company the Long Confidence, Ajl works in a studio down the street from Broc. “The last thing we wanted was this really tall, stemmed, fragile, breakable wine glass,” said Leary, who was also partial to a sturdy spirits glass she purchased from Ajl. Photos by Brontë Wittpenn / The ChronicleĪ toddler in the house partly drove this glass preference. After launching wine glasses (right) in 2020, Broc added a decanter to the project a year later. Photos by Brontë Wittpenn / The Chronicle Broc wines (left) poured into the winery’s handblown glassware. There was one set that they used the most: a pair of small and thick cocktail glasses they purchased in Japan.īroc wines (left) poured into the winery’s handblown glassware. The inspiration for the glassware came during the pandemic lockdown, when Leary and Brockway got creative with glassware while drinking wine at home. It requires “furnaces, hundreds or thousands of pounds of melted glass and it takes five to seven years to learn the craft.” “Glass requires big things: big electricity, big glass and big heat,” said designer Ajl. Handblown glassware is increasingly difficult to find domestically, Leary said, and it’s not cheap to make. Leary insists there’s “no real markup” and that the price reflects the labor-intensive process it takes to make them.īroc’s other partner in the project, Oakland’s Glow Glass Studio, can only produce about 55 glasses in an eight-hour day, as the ancient art takes incredible care and attention to detail. A delicate, thin-stemmed Zalto, for example, costs at least $70. They are still more affordable than most wine glasses in the high-end market. Handblown glassware is increasingly difficult to find domestically. Glow Glass Studio owner Alex Abajian clips glass from a cup he is molding into a wine cup for Broc Cellars. They’ve been so popular that the winery used to have trouble keeping them in stock. In less than two years, Broc has sold nearly 2,000 glasses and even expanded the line to include a decanter ($150). ![]() “It’s a more comfortable, fun way to enjoy wine.”ĭespite the $55 per glass price point - notably higher than the cost of Broc’s wines, which typically go for about $30 a bottle - the glasses have struck a chord with the winery’s customers. It takes wine literally off the pedestal,” said Bridget Leary, who co-owns Broc with Chris Brockway. “They make wine a little bit more approachable. The glasses fit into a growing trend in natural wine culture of forgoing classic stemware in favor of something more simple and universal. Much less likely to be knocked over, spill and break, they’re designed for easy, casual and spirited imbibing - like natural wines themselves - versus the customary swirling, sniffing and scrutinizing. But Broc’s glasses are hefty, small, low-profile and stemless. And a stem is typically thought of as necessary to prevent one’s hand from warming up the wine. A wide base and narrower rim is said to help concentrate the wine’s aromas when it’s swirled. Traditional wine glasses are tall and wide and often light and fragile. Broc has partnered with a local designer to create a line of glassware (above), part of a growing trend in the natural wine scene of utilizing untraditional stemware. Top: Glow Glass Studio makes wine glasses for Broc Cellars in Berkeley. ![]() In 2020, the winery partnered with Berkeley designer Rafi Ajl to create a handblown vessel that defies modern conventions. Either way, see below for a list of our favorite colored wine glasses, from rainbow to tinted emerald.But Broc’s owners don’t think drinking wine needs to be so complicated. ![]() Or, if you’re looking to go all out, we suggest mixing and matching different colored glasses for a bright and cheery tablescape. If hot pink glassware feels a little loud for your taste, there are plenty of slightly tinted glasses in blush hues or shades of peach that still feel understated and elegant. “Available in happy hues including pink, blue, green and yellow, the colorful drinkware provided an inexpensive source of joy during tough times.” “The current craze around colored glassware references the Great Depression, another period when people sought to brighten their lives amid a crisis,” explains Jessica Bennett, assistant home editor at BHG.com. Colored wine glasses-a staple piece from the '20s, ‘30s and '40s-is making a very 2021 comeback (in true Gen Z fashion). It’s no secret that vintage-inspired furniture and antique home decor are all the rage, and our glassware is following suit.
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