Medieval Wine Jug Set – Clay Jug & 6 Cups

One Jug, Six Cups, and a Table That Fills Itself

There's an old way to serve at a long table: one person keeps the jug, and everyone else keeps their cup empty on purpose. This set is built for that — a broad handled jug carrying nearly two litres, and six small footed cups it pours into, all thrown by hand in our Ukrainian workshop and finished with fire and milk instead of glaze. It's the vessel that gets picked up, tipped, and passed the whole evening while the cups come back for more.

A Jug Made to Be Handled

This is the part most drinkware never has to survive: a serving jug is lifted, tipped, and set down more times in one night than a cup sees in a week. So it's built for it. The belly is broad and low, keeping the weight near the table when it's full; the handle is pulled by hand from the same clay and joined high on the shoulder, so the jug rolls forward into a pour instead of fighting your wrist. The neck flares to a clean lip that cuts the stream off without a drip.

And here the milk firing earns its place twice over. After the first high firing, the jug is coated in milk and fired again — the milk caramelises into the porous clay and seals the surface from within, no glaze, so a vessel that's constantly handled and washed holds up for years. That second firing also darkens the body to a deep russet, which is exactly what makes the hand-carved band around the belly stand out: a wide ribbon of pale slip cut through with a bold freehand flourish of leaves and blossoms, reading in relief against the dark clay. It's the most elaborate carving on any piece we make.

The Six Cups

Small, footed, and held by the stem — 40 to 50 ml, the measure of a toast rather than a mugful. You hold them by the turned foot so your hand's warmth stays off the drink, and each one carries its own pattern of dark milk-fired smoke over warm amber. No two match.

A note on scale, so nothing surprises you: these are small tasting cups, not wine tumblers. A jug this size pours many rounds of them — which is the whole idea. It's built for horilka, nalyvka, mead, fortified wine and spirits served by the cup to a table of guests, in the Eastern European way, rather than for a single large glass of table wine.

Choose Your Jug Size

Two capacities of the same carved jug (in the selector above):

• 1.8 L — the full serving jug pictured, for a table of six with rounds to spare
• 1.5 L — a slightly smaller pour for closer company

Both come with the same six footed cups.

How People Use It

• Serving horilka, nalyvka, mead, cider, fortified and dessert wines, and homemade infusions by the cup
• A spirits or mead tasting for a table
• Viking, medieval and tavern-themed feasts, LARP and reenactment kit
• Rustic, farmhouse and cottage table settings
• A carved centrepiece jug that stands on its own on a dresser or shelf
• A wedding, anniversary or housewarming gift with a folk or historical theme

What's in the Set

• 1 handmade carved clay jug (1.5 L or 1.8 L — your choice) with handle
• 6 footed clay cups

Dimensions

Jug — 1.8 L version

• Capacity: 1.8 L / 60.9 US fl oz
• Height: 26 cm / 10.24 in
• Widest point: 16 cm / 6.30 in
• Opening: 5.5 cm / 2.17 in
• Weight: 1,370–1,400 g / 3.0–3.1 lb

Jug — 1.5 L version

• Height: 25 cm / 9.8 in
• Widest diameter: 16 cm / 6.3 in
• Neck diameter: 6.5 cm / 2.6 in
• Base diameter: 8 cm / 3.1 in
• Weight: 960 g / 2.12 lb / 33.9 oz
• Capacity: 1500 ml / 50.72 fl oz

Each footed cup

• Capacity: 50 ml / 1.7 US fl oz
• Height: 7.5 cm / 2.95 in
• Diameter: 4.2 cm / 1.65 in
• Weight: 85–90 g / 3–3.2 oz

Handmade, so expect small variations between pieces and a different pattern on every cup.

Materials

Natural red clay, fired hard — the brown is the iron in the clay drawn out by heat, not a stain. The milk-fired finish is the only surface treatment, and it is food safe. Unglazed, breathable, and free of glaze, lead and industrial coatings.

Care

• Hand wash only — never the dishwasher
• Rinse soon after use rather than letting contents stand
• Soft sponge or cloth; baking soda for anything stubborn
• Avoid strong detergents, which porous clay can absorb
• No long soaking
• Dry fully before storing
• Keep out of long, direct sunlight to preserve the tone

Cared for this way, the set lasts for years and deepens in colour as it goes.

As a Gift

For the host who pours for everyone, the couple who gather people around a table, the friend who brings homemade nalyvka to every occasion. The carved jug alone reads as a gift; the six cups turn it into an evening. Works for weddings, anniversaries and housewarmings with a folk or rustic theme.

Shipping

Packed carefully and sent from Ukraine. Standard delivery around 2–3 weeks, faster options on request. Duties prepaid for US orders.

Closing

Set the jug in the middle, hand the cups around, and let one person keep it moving. Some sets are for drinking. This one is for hosting.

The six footed cups are also sold on their own as ceramic cordial cups. Prefer two large goblets instead of six small cups? See our red clay wine set with two goblets.