I love a glass (or two) of red wine in the evening.  Somehow sipping wine around a campfire or watching the sun go down over the mountains or ocean sand dunes makes it even better.  And sipping wine with friends is always high on my “fun” list.  But camping … even with the Lance travel trailer … poses some challenges.

You may be glad to know that “young” wine ages faster and actually benefits from the movement of a travel trailer … on the other hand, don’t expect “good” aged wine to last long – drink it before it turns to vinegar!  So buy younger less expensive wine, let it age quickly moving around in your travel trailer & find the perfect glass to sip it in!

Our patio, beachfront, on Ocracoke Island…. perfect for a bit of wine at sunset! Doesn’t this just make you want to be camping right now?   🙂

Ideally, my wine glass of choice is crystal, very fragile and not conducive to life on the road.  The stemless design makes it a bit better than stemmed crystal, but not enough.  Here are a few designs that have become favorites, all of which we’ve either tested ourselves, tested on the sailboat or have used/seen in friends’ RVs.

1.  GoVino.  What can I say … we’ve been using GoVino wine glasses since they came out several years ago, my version of the infamous red solo cup, but perfect for wine.  Are they really perfect?  No, I need to replace them every couple years, the plastic gets cloudy.  But they can’t be beat for sipping wine at the campfire, walking down to a friend’s campsite, going for a sunset kayak paddle, you name it, we use them.  They are lightweight plastic and they do require hand washing (but I haven’t got a dishwasher in our Lance 1685 trailer anyway…).  Plus they’re inexpensive and have cool little thumb indents in the sides – perfect for poolside with sunscreen on your hands.  Ours are more than 2 years old and it’s the 2nd set I’ve had, not bad for less than $4/glass.

2. TaZa Unbreakable Tritan Wine Glasses.  I had never heard of these – but friends had them and trying them, we liked them better than the Winetanium glasses we’ve used elsewhere. Note that they’re still plastic (acrylic?).  They don’t break, they’re a bit more rigid than my go to GoVino glasses, they fit my hands even though they hold 16 ounces, which is a bit large.  Overall we give these a thumbs up.  At just under $25 for 4, they’re slightly more expensive than GoVino, but they seem like they’d need replaced less frequently.

3.  Stemless Stainless Wine Glasses.  Stainless wine glasses have always intrigued me, but the only ones I’ve actually seen are these and at 18 ounces, they’re a bit too big for my taste.  But our friends love them, so you might too.  They’re certainly more durable than any of the plastic glasses, and they keep wine at a consistent temperature longer.  If they only came in a 12 or even 14 ounce stemless version.

4.  Sip Sip Unbreakable Silicon Wine Glasses.  OK, I have to admit, I have never used these myself.  But the idea that they’re silicon (i.e. squishable and unbreakable) is interesting.  I love the concept … and they’re inexpensive, so maybe I’ll order some and report back!  On the other hand, I’d probably squish one picking it up and make a mess, not to mention lose my wine.  🙂

5.  Schott Zweisel Tritan Crystal  It’s not as wonderful as my “real” crystal at the lake cottage, but preferred over the other alternatives on our sailboat.  These made in Germany wine glasses are Tritan crystal, non-lead made of titanium which resists breaking and chipping.  Dishwasher safe.  A bit large at 19.1 ounces for me.  I’d classify them as a cross between “real” crystal and glass.  They’re not as delicate as “real crystal”, but they don’t shatter.  We started with two of these glasses aboard our sailboat and now two years later, we have one.  It didn’t shatter, but neither did it survive when David dropped it.  They were hard to find, but now that I’ve located them on Amazon, I’m ordering more, adding a couple to the trailer a couple for the boat … and replenish as necessary since they’re $7 each.  I’ll wrap them in bubble-wrap sleeves for travel, both aboard and enroute.

6. Tervis Goblet.  Not sure if the Tervis wine goblet is better than the Vino2Go version below, but Tervis has a good reputation and Vino2Go gets inconsistent reports for leaking.  I haven’t tried one, but I have other Tervis tumblers that I love.  Don’t forget to order the lid, they’re separate.  Tervis tumblers are guaranteed for life, thus a bit more expensive.  The lid is not included with the wine goblet (and on Amazon, some of the photos show 2 lids, there’s only one per package, so don’t be fooled).  Tervis says:

• Wine glass inside tumbler
• Microwave and Dishwasher Safe
• Keeps Hot Drinks Hotter and Cold Drinks Colder
• Reduces Condensation and Rings
• Lifetime Guarantee

6.  Vino2Go.  A sippy cup for adults?  These double walled acrylic wine glasses aren’t my pick for normal camping, we don’t have any in the trailer … yet.  But they’re great on the boat for dinghy riding … anytime you don’t want to chance the wine spilling.   I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re spillproof, because like with any sippy cup, it seems leaks can occur, but they’re better at containing red wine than most.  Don’t know if you have a need for a sippy cup, but they come in several colors in case you need to make sure someone else isn’t sipping from your sippy cup!

Enjoy your vino!

What about you?  Do you enjoy wine while you’re camping?  What glasses do you prefer?  Please leave a comment and share!  Cheers!  Jan

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