Designed-in-Singapore wine glasses clinch prestigious international design award

The large opening of wine glasses is a common gripe among wine drinkers in Asia when nosing wines in drinkware designed with Europeans in mind. The aromas of wines would sometimes be lost when nosing them. 

That was one of the pain points Gerald Lu, president of the Sommelier Association of Singapore, addressed when he was approached to co-design wine glasses tailored to Asians.

Enter Sklo Evolution, a stemware collection designed in Singapore that launched in early April. Sklo means glass in Czech. Throughout the 30-week research and design process with Czech glassworks company Kvetna 1794, Lu ticked off his wish list of what makes a dream wine glass.

He says: “The opening of the wine glass has to be smaller so that the aromas of wine can be better retained in the glass when nosing it.”

The Sklo Evolution collection comprises two universal tasting glasses: 50 and 125, named after the optimal pour volume in each glass in ml. The Evolution 50 is more suited for spirits such as whisky, brandy, rum, baijiu, fortified wines, and sake, while the larger Evolution 125 is tailored for wines. 

Each glass also has a pointed V-shaped “button” at the part that connects the stem to the glass bowl, which increases the torque and optimises the release of aromas when swirling wine in a glass.

The Sklo Evolution wine glasses received the 2025 Red Dot Award in Product Design in the tableware category. The Red Dot Design Award, which is one of the world’s major and internationally recognised design competitions, spans categories such as product design, brand and communication design and design concept. Other Singaporean brands that have received the Red Dot Award include coffee tech company, Morning Coffee for its Morning machine.

Lu and his team worked closely with the glass artisans from Kvetna 1794, who hand-blown, cut, and polished the lead-free crystal glassware. Sklo Evolution also marks the first wine glasses that the historic glassware company has produced, targeted at Asians. 

To make the glasses to the Sklo team’s exacting specifications, the glass mould fabrication process involved about five rounds of revisions, producing sample pieces that were delivered to Singapore each time. Lu and some members of the 250-strong association tested the glasses and gave their feedback each time. 

The devil lies in the details when it comes to crafting Sklo Evolution. Besides pushing the limits of how thin the stem can be at 3.5mm, the calyx, or the tulip-shaped body of the glass, is designed for uniform swirls, and the chimney of the glass is designed for the wine to reach one’s mouth smoothly at an angle. 

Lu , who is also the owner of Praelum Wine Bistro, says: “We looked at how to improve torque and velocity (of a wine swirl), maximise impact aromas, and minimise aromatic loss”, adding that the glasses are designed to enhance the taste structure and clarity of flavours.

The stem is made thinner to accommodate the more delicate fingers of Asian drinkers. A more compact wine base is designed for smaller tables in restaurants here.

Thoo Lee Ming, founder of Sklo, says: “Wine is more than just a drink — it’s an experience. And the right glass can elevate that experience.” He adds that the spark for starting Sklo was to design a stemware that wine professionals can be proud of. 

During Sklo’s launch, the NV Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut was served in the Sklo Evolution 50 glass, which brought out intense whiffs of baked apples and peaches. The Folium Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023, also served in the same glass, gave off vibrant aromas of lemon and grapefruit.

Sklo Evolution 50 and 125 glasses are priced at $130 and can be bought at Sklo.sg.