As crazy as this sounds and you might not believe it, but before there was wine, there were vessels to drink it from.  Yes, believe it or not, there were containers that actually held liquid before liquid gold was created.  These containers were just waiting for something to fill it that would satisfy its purpose far beyond what it could ever dream.  Enter wine.  The first wine glasses were made from many different materials from baked clay potter to gourds made of leather to goblets of silver and gold.  Animal horns were even used, especially by the Vikings.  These vessel examples were what was used when one was trying to maintain a certain level of decorum, otherwise drinking straight from larger storage container was entirely acceptable.

As far back as 50 A.D.a scientist named Pliny the Elder worked to encourage glass as a preferred container for holding wine, but this was not widely possible due to the fact that glass was as treasured a material as gold and jewels because at that time the process and ancient technology used to make glass was expensive and very difficult.  Because of this, the first version of the wine glass that consisted of a base, stem and foot dates from the 15th century.  Due to the Industrial Revolution, glass today is very easy to produce which in turn makes it affordable compared to all previous centuries.  In fact, even as late as the beginning of the 20th century glass was difficult to mass produce.  These facts make it easy to see how glass was just as precious as gold or silver a few hundred years ago.

Again, because of the Industrial Revolution, the mass production of glass suddenly made sets of wine glasses affordable to everyday blue collar working folks.  Wine glasses along with champagne flutes, tumblers and goblets were sold in sets, usually containing a dozen in each set.  Suddenly glass was the preferred material for wine vessels and this made it easy for people to covet the color and body of the wine, which is just as important as taste and indeed needed to get the full experience out of drinking wine.  With these discoveries, glass began to be shaped specifically to enhance the bouquet and body of red, white and blush wine alike.  These inventions gave a while new perspective and twist into wine drinking and enjoyment.

Shape and size of the bowl of the glass is very important to the full experience of wine enjoyment.  You should buy glasses specifically for the red and white wine and even champagne.  A lot of science has gone into the shape of each type of glass and you would greatly benefit by using the proper shape for the wine you are drinking.