Wine Peeps is an independent wine blog dedicated to helping you get the most bang for your buck in wine. We do this through blind tastings of wine from around the world and calculations of 
Wine Gadget: StemGrip
By Kori ~ July 28th, 2009.
Are you tired of hand washing your stemware? If so, this wine gadget could be the answer for you. Last month, I was contacted by James Roush, managing partner of StemGrip, asking me if we would like to test their product which he touted as “a great wine accessory that saves you time, enhances stemware sanitation and reduces stemware loss due to breakage. Our slogan is, no more hand washing stemware!†It sounded great, so I told him to send me a sample so we could check it out.
StemGrip attaches to any vertical tine on your dishwasher’s bottom rack and the removable clips hold the wine glass stems in order to keep them from bumping, falling or cracking. The bottom line: they do work, but they are not quite as easy to use as the sales literature indicates. It is not a difficult process but can take some time to get the glasses positioned properly. I found out that Mom (LaGayle) has been using StemGrip for several years to wash her champagne flutes, but she feels they are too cumbersome to set up in the dishwasher to use for all of her stemware. In fact, she and I both use Riedel Ouverture and INAO tasting glasses as our everyday stemware which are dishwasher safe and will fit in the top rack of our dishwashers.
I would recommend StemGrip for long-stemmed wine glasses or champagne flutes that you feel comfortable putting in a dishwasher.
StemGrip is available online or at a retailer near you.
Have you used StemGrip? If so, how has it worked for you?
Full disclosure: We received StemGrip as a sample.
Filed under: Wine Gadget
Hey Kori, nice job! Good meeting you and the “peeps” in Sonoma last week. I like your live blogging coverage; informative tasting notes.
Might have to give this thing a try, although probably not with our Riedel stemware… I can already break those on my own.
Keep on blogging, tweeting, and peeping! Maybe we’ll see you @ Walla Walla?
Cheers,
Clint
Thanks, Clint. Great to meet you and Loni, too! Hope to see you up here in our neck of the woods for next year’s WBC in Walla Walla. Cheers!
Hi Kori, thank you for taking the time to review StemGripâ„¢. Your assessment is fair and accurate, although it’s quite easy to position the stemware; it just takes a few moments. I’m delighted to hear that your mom has been using StemGripâ„¢ for years. The point of StemGripâ„¢ is to use your stemware and not have to worry about washing and breaking them. You’ve been served wine in fine stemware at restaurants. I guarantee you that they aren’t hand washing that stemware. They are blasting them in a commercial dishwasher. The point is, live a little, use the good stuff, and get out your Riedel, Spiegelau, Schott Zwiesel or any of your stemware you love but hate to wash or worry about breaking! I look forward to sharing a bottle of wine (in fine stemware) with you in the future, santé.
I have been using StemGrip for over a year and absolutely love them! I have had no problems using them. I love my long stemmed Riedel wine glasses and hated washing them by hand. If I risked putting them on the top rack of the dishwasher, they would end up either breaking or water deposits on the side of the glass tilting downward. I never have the deposits with StemGrip and have not had any breakage. The only caution I would give is not to put another dish or pan up against them. However, common sense would tell you not to do that anyway. James Roush, managing partner of StemGrip, is a pleasure to work with. I continue to order them as gifts for all my friends and family members. I am surprised these are not carried by more wine outlets. Thank you StemGrip!!
Yvonne,
Thanks for sharing your StemGrip experience. Cheers!