A wine coaster, also called a bottle or decanter coaster, is a shallow circular stand for a wine bottle or decanter, designed to protect a polished table from drips and scratches. The typical form has a low pierced or solid metal gallery around a turned wooden base, with baize or felt underneath so that it can be slid easily across the table.
Wine coasters came into use in England in the second half of the eighteenth century, when it became customary to remove the tablecloth after dinner and pass wine and port around the bare mahogany table. Silver and Old Sheffield plate examples were made in large numbers, with galleries pierced, chased or embossed with vines, gadrooning and neoclassical motifs, and many were made in pairs or sets. Other versions were made in papier-mâché, lacquered tinware, turned wood and later electroplate, and double coasters, sometimes on small wheels, were known as wine wagons. Collectors look for clear hallmarks, crisp decoration, an original or good-quality wooden base, and engraved crests or a central boss. Coasters made as pairs are worth more than singles. Today they remain as useful as ever for serving wine at the dining table.
