What is Roemer Glass? These traditional German wine glasses with green stems are used to serve delicious wines from the Rhine or Moselle regions. We had a set in our home while I was growing up, and my family in Germany has them. I’d bet that most German families have a set in the Schrank. I even have a few sets myself! But what makes these glasses special? Why are the stems of the glasses green? And why are they named for Romans?
These glasses have a very long history!
What is Roemer Glass?
When the Romans expanded their empire into the edges of Germany, they brought an appetite for wine with them. But, since it was easier to produce wine in these far outposts than to haul amphorae over the Alps, they sought ideal growing conditions for their grapes. In what is now Southwest Germany, they established the first vineyards. The garrison in Trier, Germany’s oldest city in the Moselle Valley, is ideally situated for growing because of the shale soil and moderate climate. Soldiers dealing with the Germanic Tribes on the other side of the Rhine were thirsty, and Roman viticulture moved up along the Rhine River Valley. (Fun Fact: Vines along the Moselle and the Rhine still use the same Roman trellising techniques from that time.)
A Römer Glass is a wine glass with a green base that looks coiled and topped by a clear bowl. Glassblowers produced the first Römer glasses in the 16th Century along the Rhine and in the Netherlands. The style evolved from “Waldglass” and began as a cone on top of a coiled stem called Bekemeyers. Over time, the bowl of the glass got thinner and rounder, and the bottom of the coiled stem was given a broader base.
The green color comes from the potash and sand from the forest. Originally, the entire glass was made green, but wine lovers felt that the green interfered with the color of the wine, so the glasses have a green stem and clear bowls.
Roemer Glass from the late 17th Century on display at the Met- Dutch- Public Domain
By the end of the 17th Century, the bowls of the glasses were thin and hemispherical (a half circle). Often today, the bowl is etched with vines or grapes, and sometimes the glass rim is gold. You’ll find them with all sorts of lovely decorations.
Today you can buy modern versions of these old Römer glasses!
waldglas roemer, 2 stuks, 18th century Römer , ancient glass verzameling
Why are the Stems Bumpy?
Glassblowers shaped the base of the glass by coiling the molten glass over a form. Doing this made a hollow stem that stayed bumpy or layered. Because of the thickness, the stem is officially called a “trunk” (but that’s hard to get used to, so let’s continue to say stem).
Most German households of a certain age own a set of these glasses. Now you can have them too! In memory of your grandparents, or as a sign of your heritage, or even a reminder of a wonderful visit to Germany.
Where Can I Buy Roemer Glasses
Vintage Roemer Glasses
Vintage German Roemer Wine/Cordial Glasses, Olive Green Bubble Stem, Grape Vines/Foliage, Gold Trimmed Rim,Vintage Roemer Rhine wine glass x 2. Olive Green Roemer Glass, W. Germany, 1970s. Grape pattern in gold colour. Wine goblets.
Roemer Etched Grape Glasses, Cordial Wine Set of 4, Green Ribbed Stem, German Drinkware, Elegant GiftVintage Emerald Green Stemmed Etched Clear Roemer Glasses Deer Elk Rabbit Bird Set Of 4/Vintage Wildlife Roemer Glasses/Vintage Glassware5 Vintage Cordial Liqueur Green ringed Beehive Stem Glasses Roemer ?Set of 6 Roemer Green Beehive Glasses, Grape DesignSet of 4 Koln am Rhein ~3″ Souvenir Cordial Wine Roemer Beehive Stem Green Gold
New Glasses
Wine and liquor glasses
Vintage Style Römer Glasses
What’s old is new! TV shows like Game of Thrones are bringing back interest in the old style.
Rummer Wine Glass Hand Blown Drinking Glass As Seen In GOT Tyrion and Witcher Green Forest Glass
