Uses for Champagne Glasses Other Than for Drinking Champagne

Champagne glasses may be used for storage, home decor, art and more.

Glass makers design champagne flutes to trap air bubbles and prevent the beverage from turning flat. For that, they do an excellent job. Yet there are many other uses for champagne flutes once the bubbly runs dry. Here are some examples that may serve as springboards for your own ideas. Use imagination and a dash of care in handling fragile glass, and you will find champagne flutes decorative, elegant and versatile.

Serving Dishes

Champagne flutes make eye-catching and useful serving dishes for a variety of foods. Have you ever served an ice cream sundae in a champagne glass? Even lowly desserts, such as packaged pudding, can seem opulent if you pop them into champagne flutes and top with raspberries.

Cold soups, such as borscht, are excellent candidates for champagne flute servers. You may serve almost any cold food in stemware, from fruit cocktail to parfaits. Next time you buy a tub of yogurt, try layering it with fruit in a champagne glass.

Lighting

The crystal clear glass of a champagne flute plays well with firelight, due to its tall, narrow shape. This makes it an excellent candle holder. Fill a glass one-third full with pebbles, marbles or other objects, and then place a colorful taper in the center. Alternatively, turn the glass over and stand a candle on the bottom. A dozen candles in a fireplace may replace logs on no-burn days, and the stemware intensifies the flames.

At the Moët et Chandon (moet.com) in France, where the statue of a famous champagne maker, Dom Perignon, graces the grounds, a stunning chandelier hangs in the lobby. Created from hundreds of flutes, the cone-shaped chandelier exhibits one of the more unusual uses for champagne glasses.

Home and Garden

If you start seeds indoors in tiny pots made of sphagnum moss, but tend to forget to keep the soil moist, try popping a champagne flute over the pot. The moisture from the soil will not dissipate in the air. Just be sure to take the glass off when the seed sprouts.

Scent crystals in champagne glasses lend a freshness to any room. Try displaying your collection of marbles, gemstones or even plastic stirrers from famous nightclubs in a champagne glass.

Science Experiments

Scientists at Harvard use wine glasses (champagne glasses are wine glasses and work perfectly for this experiment) to show the effects of gravitational lensing. In other words, they use the glasses to prove the existence of black holes. Other scientists use the shattering properties of champagne glasses to draw conclusions about observers.

Considerations

Any glass will break. Avoid placing the champagne flutes where breakage seems likely. Champagne glasses have long stems that can make them top heavy. You may need to secure the base if you plan to display any hefty treasures. Dress up your table with champagne flutes for soda and other beverages whenever your family needs a lift. It could serve as a conversation starter.

References

• Champagne Physics and More; Dr. Patrick Hunt; Stanford University
• The African Cookbook; Desserts: Additional Recipes; Fools
• The Gleaner: The hunt for holiday meal choices under $10
• FSU Thistle Blog; Monday, 19 May 2008, Épernay to Verdun---Champagne and chocolate; 20 May 2008
• Inside Einstein's Universe: "Einstein's Lens" Scientist Presentation: Supplemental Demonstrations