Monteiths & Rinsers Photos

Up to the 18th Century wine glasses were expensive & sometimes even broken after use for show. Thus, many hosts only offered only one wineglass per person, no matter how many different wines were served. Bowls called rinsers or Monteiths became a table setting item so guests could rinse or store such glasses. Since the glasses were rinsed or stored stem end up, Monteiths evolved a series of indentations around the rim to support stems, a feature that helps identify these metal, ceramic or glass objects.