"Have some madeira, m'dear!

It's so much nicer than beer." But what about the glass? Madeira, a sweetish fortified wine, is served in a sherry glass. But which of the gazillion vintage and antique glasses on eBay are sherry glasses?

This is a short guide to the stemware sizes most likely to be found in vintage and collectable glassware. Traditionally, the volume of each type of glass (filled to the top) and the amount per serving are:

Water goblet 8-10 oz., fill almost to top;

Red wine goblet 6-9 oz., 1/2 full;

Red wine, balloon-shaped glass 10-12 oz., 1/3 to 1/2 full;

White wine glass 4-6 oz., 1/2 full;

Hock or white Rhine wine goblet 4-6 oz., 3/4 inch deep;

All-purpose wine tasting glass (bowl longer than wide) 8 oz., 1/3 to 1/2 full;

Brandy snifter 8-12 oz., 1/4 or less full;

Tulip champagne glass 6-8 oz., 3/4 full;

Saucer-shaped champagne glass, 4-6 oz., almost to the top;

Martini or cocktail glass 4-6 oz., almost to top;

Sherry, port, madeira wine glass, 4 oz.; 3/4 full;

Pousse-cafe glass 3-4 oz.; level depends on number of liqueurs used;

Cordial or liqueur glass 2-4 oz.; 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Ask ebay sellers to provide the volume of their stemmed glasses if you are buying for a particular use because simple height measurements don't take into account variations in stem length or bowl capacity.

Variations can exist within each type of glass and a sherry glass might look like a wine glass in a photo. A pipestem sherry glass looks somewhat like a skinny martini glass and the "classic" sherry glass is shaped like a small, skinny red wine glass. Additionally, sellers often don't know: I've seen a set of etched cordials described as "stemmed shot glasses". A roemer hock glass is a decorated Dutch or German wine glass that has small glass knobs or "prunts" on a wide, usually hollow stem. The "all-purpose" wine glass shape was designed by the Institute National des Appelations d'Origine in Paris for winetasting with a stem long enough to allow the wine to be swirled without being warmed by the hand, the bowl longer than it is wide so that the aroma is gently contained, and no cutting or etching to permit the wine to show its colors.

The basic rule to glass stemware shapes is that function and fads dictate form. Three types of champagne glasses have been popularly used for champagne. Today, champagne bubbles are to be enjoyed visually in a narrow flute-shaped glass but could tickle the nose more easily in the wide saucer style favored throughout most of the 20th Century; the 19th Century favored champagne glasses that were more cone-shaped. The smaller-size wine glasses prevent white wines from getting too warm; the larger glasses allow red wine to breathe. The stem of a white wine glass or martini glass prevents the hand from warming the cold liquid (whether shaken or stirred or just poured) while the short-stemmed wide bowl of a brandy glass allows the liquid to be warmed by the hand to release its aroma. A six-ounce belt of sweet creme de menthe would be hard to swallow while two ounces of a good red wine in a four-ounce glass would be viewed by guests as just a tasting — and stingy at dinner.

Starting in Queen Victoria's time, glass makers have created a bewildering variety of sizes, shapes, and colors to decorate and enhance formal dining. But oddly sized and shaped glasses are not just remnants of Victorian sets, quite modern pieces are often identified as antique simply because the sellers have no idea how they were used. As late as 1974, one etiquette book suggests 23 separate TYPES of stemware and other glassware for "today's trousseau" with a minimum of 8 (preferably 16) of each type.

Those smallish claret or red wine glasses in older sets date from the era when formal entertaining meant that sherry or other aperitif, white AND red wine, and sometimes champagne or dessert wine would be served at the different courses, followed by brandy or liqueurs. The smaller sizes restricted the total amount of alcohol consumed. Today, most of us follow the informal custom of drinking one wine or beverage before and throughout the meal.

Mixing different styles, colors and types of glasses can add interest to the simplest table. While vintage and antique claret glasses might be too small for today's "big" reds, older water goblets are a good size for red wine.

Tinted wine glasses — so recently scorned by "serious" wine lovers — are still beautiful and appearing in stylish stores. While red wine might look mucky in a pale blue or green glass, water or white wine in colored glasses can add a festive touch to a meal. Now that rosé wines are making a comeback, blush or pink wine in a pink glass makes an elegantly refreshing statement.

While shorter-stemmed, saucer-type glassware is usually for fruit or seafood cocktails and desserts but Mid-20th Century modern designs by makers such as Steuben and Scandinavian designers sometimes have shorter stems. A good rule of thumb (or fingers) is that if the stem is too short to be comfortable to raise and drink out of, it was probably made for food. But remember, ice cream and other desserts can be elegantly served in stemmed glasses so long as a spoon can fit inside.

Collecting vintage or antique crystal and glass is fascinating while incorporating them into your entertaining can be fun!