A good friend of mine has a funny way of picking out wine.  He doesn’t do it by the vintage, the winery, or the price tag; he picks his wine by the physical appearance of the bottle.  The color, the shape, the thickness all play into his choice.

See, he makes his own drinking glasses out of old wine bottles. It’s repurposing at its finest, plus it makes for unique sets of glasses that add a pop of originality to any kitchen cupboard.

First. Find 6 bottles that you find aesthetically appealing. They can all be different or you can choose to keep them uniform.  If you don’t want to wait to drink all that wine yourself- throw a dinner party!

Next, you’ll need a specific glass-cutting tool.  This Generation Green (g2) Bottle Cutter  is a simple, yet effective mechanism. 

Once your tool arrives, read the instructions.  You’ll need to set the jig to each bottle (why sometimes it’s easier to keep the glasses uniform) and make sure that it doesn’t move while you are scoring the glass.  The incision won’t be that deep.  Just enough to break the surface.

Word to the wise—don’t use the tapper.  It doesn’t give you as even a break as a hot and cold-water technique. Run the scored glass under cold water.  Then pour boiling hot water around the incision.  The glass should pop right apart.

Then sand the top with emery cloth.  It’s like sandpaper for jewelry. This takes some patience and a bit of elbow grease, but you need to make sure that it’s completely smooth before you put your lips to sip.

A polishing compound like will matte the top.  And before you know it, you’re ready to set the table with your homemade DIY glasses.

-Arianna Schioldager