No other liquid that we consume carries the same degree of tradition and ceremony as wine. There’s a reason why it’s the drink we enjoy when we are celebrating special moments or spending time with those closest to us. Wine is special. It’s luxurious, regal, and made to be savored.
Truly enjoying a glass of wine is more than just drinking a glass of wine. There’s a process to it that involves careful thought and consideration. From how you pour wine into the glass to how much wine you pour, there’s a certain degree of etiquette that should be followed.
Before you host your next party or attend your next gala, here are some tips that will help you impress your friends, family, and colleagues if you are the one pouring the wine.
How to Properly Pour Wine into a Glass
Believe it or not, there is an art to pouring wine and to get it right can take some practice. After all, the last thing you want to have happen is for the bottle to drip when pulling the bottle away from the glass and wine get on somebody’s clothing. Here’s how to complete a perfect and proper wine pour.
When picking up a bottle of wine, you should hold it from its lower half. Tilt the bottle’s opening down over the wine glass and pour the wine slowly into the glass. You can choose to pour the wine into the center of the glass or along the inside of the glass. It doesn’t matter which you choose but pouring it along the inside of the glass will cause it flow around the glass more and this will aerate it a bit better.
To prevent the bottle from dripping, you should slowly rotate the bottle when you lift it away from the rim of the glass. Or you can use a cloth napkin to catch any drips before they can stain someone’s pants or blouse.
It is entirely suitable to use two hands to pour wine, but if you want to really impress your friends and pour wine according to The Court of Master Sommeliers service standards, then you should pour while holding the bottle with one hand. Just make sure you practice this move a lot before trying it with others to help prevent a disaster.
How Full Should a Glass of Wine Be?
Now that you know how to properly pour a glass of wine, how full should a glass of wine be? The standard pour of wine is 5 ounces, and this applies to both white and red wines. There’s a reason for this and it is because space is needed for the wine to be swirled, so it can aerate.
The standard white wine glass holds between 8 to 12 ounces and the standard red wine glass holds between 8 to 22 ounces. While it might seem odd for both types of wine to follow the same 5 ounces rule, again, there is a reason for it. Because red wines tend to be older and more full-bodied, and because they contain higher amounts of tannins, red wine aerates better when it is spread out across a larger surface area. Pouring 5 ounces of red wine in a 22-ounce glass allows you to explore the wine with your senses as thoroughly as possible.
Plus, by pouring this amount in each glass, you will get five properly filled glasses out of a standard 750 ml bottle of wine. Want an easy tip for hitting the 5-ounce line every time? Pour until the wine reaches widest point of a glass. For most wine glasses, this tends to coincide with the standard service size of 5 to 6 ounces.