How to Hold a Wine Glass

Part of offering a proper wine service at your bar or restaurant is knowing how to hold a wine glass. Holding a wine glass correctly makes you appear professional and helps you serve wine at the right temperature. Whether you're supplying or enjoying the wine, we explain how to hold different types of wine glasses so you can participate in holiday wine pairings without social anxiety. Once you’ve mastered the proper way to hold a wine glass, check out our wine-drinking tips so you can swirl wine like a pro and flawlessly clink wine glasses after a toast.

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Click below to learn how to hold wine glasses and participate in a wine tasting:

Proper Way to Hold a Wine Glass

Woman in a vineyard during sunset holds a wine glass by its stem to take a sip

The proper way to hold a wine glass is by its stem. This protects the temperature of the wine. Holding a wine glass by its bowl warms its contents.

Wine Glass Parts

Familiarize yourself with the parts of a wine glass so you can follow our guide to holding a wine glass.

  • Rim - perimeter of the bowl where your lips contact the glass
  • Bowl - contains the wine, sizes vary
  • Stem - long, thin piece linking the base to the bowl
  • Base - flat, circular piece at the bottom of the stem that provides stability

How to Hold a Stemmed Wine Glass

There are 3 proper ways to hold a stemmed wine glass:

  1. Pinch the stem between your thumb and index finger where it meets the base. Rest the bottom of the base on your folded middle finger.
  2. Use your thumb as a lever and anchor the base to your folded index finger.
  3. Pinch the stem of the glass between your thumb and index. Let your other fingers rest naturally. To hold a wine glass elegantly, follow the previous steps and then stick out your pinky finger.

How to Hold a Stemless Wine Glass

Hold a stemless wine glass towards the base of its bowl. To minimize heat transfer, use only your thumb, index, and middle fingers to grip the glass. If the glass feels like it may slip, curl your ring and pinky fingers beneath your middle finger to provide stability. Stemless wine glasses offer greater stability than stemmed wine glasses, preventing spills and breakage at cocktail parties and catered events. However, they’re unideal for tasting rooms because most wines are served below room temperature. Holding the base of a stemless wine glass transfers heat from the hand to the bowl and warms the wine.

How to Hold Red Wine Glass vs White

The best practices for holding a wine glass are the same for both red and white wine. However, the need for holding a wine glass by its stem is greater for white wine, since sommeliers serve it chilled. We break down the distinctions between how you should hold a red vs white wine glass below.

How to Hold a Red Wine Glass

The best way to hold a red wine glass is by its stem. This preserves its ideal serving temperature. If you’re drinking red wine on a winterized patio space, hold the red wine glass by its bowl to keep it from chilling.

How to Hold a White Wine Glass

Since white wine is chilled, serve it in a stemmed wine glass and hold the glass by its stem. Holding a white wine glass by its stem preserves its serving temperature.

How to Drink Wine

Pick one spot on the wine glass to drink from for the entire evening. This keeps your glass cleaner, its aromas fresher, and prevents unsightly lip marks from encircling the rim.

How to Carry Multiple Wine Glasses

Server on a vineyard patio carrying multiple wine glasses on a tray

To provide a proper wine service, your wait staff will need to transport multiple wine glasses to tables. The safest way to carry multiple wine glasses is with non-skid trays or a specialized wine glass tray. If you don’t have a tray, follow the steps below to carry multiple wine glasses without smudging their bowls, risking breakage, or contaminating their rims.

  1. Turn your hand palm-side up.
  2. Add the wine glasses between your fingers. Rest the bases of the glasses on your palm and allow their bowls to hang upside down beneath your hand.
  3. Layer the glass bases so they touch your fingers or overlap with the other bases. You can safely transport up to four glasses this way.

How Do You Toast Wine Glasses?

Many formal events will include a toast where you must clink your wine glass against other guests’ glasses. Crystal glasses are prone to shattering if you don't clink them properly. Even when using sturdier glasses, toasting wine glasses can lead to spills, breakage, and germ transfer. Mitigate these concerns by using the bell-to-bell method to toast with wine glasses.

What Is the Bell-To-Bell Method?

The bell-to-bell method is a safe and resonant way to clink wine glasses. To perform the bell-to-bell method, clink the big round part of your wine glass (aka its “bell”) to the bell of your clinking partner’s wine glass. When the wine glass bells make contact, they will release an enduring ring. Hand or machine-blown crystal glass will deliver the greatest resonance. Heavy crystal glasses and thicker rolled-lip glasses do not offer the same enduring ring.

How to Swirl Wine

a person's hand grips a wineglass by its stem to swirl it on a wooden table

Knowing how to grab a wine glass to swirl wine is essential to running a wine-tasting room. Follow the steps below to learn how to swirl wine glasses properly. Start by practicing swirling wine atop a table to build muscle memory. Once you've mastered the technique, you'll be ready to swirl the wine in the air. We've outlined the best way to hold a wine glass for swirling below.

  1. Set the wine glass on a flat surface.
  2. Pinch the stem where it meets the base between your thumb and index finger.
  3. Draw small circles on the table with the glass.
  4. The contents of the glass will swirl; continue the process for approximately 20-30 seconds.

Why Do You Swirl Wine?

Swirling wine releases its aromas and improves its flavor.

Back to Top

If you're training to become a bartender, use our guide to learn how to hold wine glasses properly. By following best practices, you can prevent wine glasses from contaminating each other during a toast or breaking during transport. If you're trying to teach patrons how to swirl their wine, teach them the proper way to hold a wine glass to swirl wine with our guide.

Posted in: Bars & Breweries|By Corrinn McCauley
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Pinot noir from California, Central Otago, NZ, South Australia, Chile, and Argentina delivers flavors of raspberry and clove. Cranberry and mushroom essences are common in pinot noir made in France, Germany, Italy, and Oregon. Profile: Strong Fruit-Flavors, Average Body, Average Alcohol Content, Medium-High Acidity, Medium-Low Tannins Dominant Flavors: Cranberry, Cherry, Raspberry, Clove, Mushroom Origin: Burgundy, France How to Serve: Serve pinot noir between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit in an aroma collector glass after decanting for 30 minutes. Pairing Suggestion: Sauteed Duck Breasts with Wild Mushrooms or Burnt Ends 5. Pinot Grigio Pinot grigio, pronounced pee-no gree-jo, is a light-bodied white wine with a refreshing flavor. It’s one of four common types of pinot grapes alongside pinot blanc, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. It has a gray-purple skin and is used to make white and rose wine. Its dominant flavors are lemon, yellow apple, melon, nectarine, and peach. Despite this, it isn’t considered a fruit-forward wine. It’s light-bodied and dry with average acidity and alcohol content. Originally from France and Italy, the three largest modern producers are Italy, the USA, and Germany. Enjoy pinot grigio ice cold in a white wine glass. Pair it with a flaky fish dish, shellfish, and softer cow’s milk cheeses. Pinot grigio, also known as pinot gris, has three common styles. The style from Northern Italy that we most associate with this wine grape is minerally and dry with citrus notes and salinity. American, Australian, and other warm weathered climates typically produce pinot grigio that is fruity and dry. Sweet and fruity pinot grigio is typically made in Alsace, France, and is imbued with flavors of peach, lemon, and honey. The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy produces a unique style of pinot grigio called ramato that is used to make a pale-copper-colored rose. Profile: Light Fruit Flavors, Light Body, Dry, Average Acidity, Average Alcohol Content Dominant Flavors: Lemon, Yellow Apple, Melon, Nectarine, Peach Origin: France and Italy How to Serve: Serve pinot grigio between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit in a white wine glass. Pairing Suggestion: Moules Frites or King Crab Legs Back to Top 6. Chardonnay Chardonnay, pronounced shar-dun-nay, is the world’s most planted white grape. Chardonnay wines are full-bodied and fruit-forward with dominant flavors of yellow apple, starfruit, pineapple, butter, and chalk. It has medium-low dryness, average acidity, and medium-high alcohol content. Chardonnay grapes were first grown in France. The top four producers today in descending order are France, the USA, Australia, and Italy. While typically served cold, try serving a rich, creamy chardonnay at 55 degrees Fahrenheit, because slightly warming chardonnay releases its aroma into the bowl of the wineglass. Chardonnays are so versatile you can pair them with almost anything, but they’re popularly paired with creamy sauces, starchy vegetables, and different varieties of oysters. Chardonnay is one of the few grapes that can grow in a wide range of temperatures, but the climate where it's grown highly affects its flavor. Cooler climates will produce chardonnay with more quince and starfruit flavors. Warmer climates typically produce chardonnay with bolder pineapple and yellow apple essences. Sparkling wines labeled “Blanc de Blancs” are made with chardonnay. Chardonnay comes in three popular styles: oaked, unoaked, and sparkling. Oakey, creamy, and rich chardonnay wines are cultivated in California, Chile, Australia, Argentina, Spain, and Cote de Beaune, Burgundy. Steel-barrel aged, light, and zesty chardonnay are produced in Western Australia, and the Maconnais and Chablis regions of France. Profile: Fruit Forward, Medium-Full Body, Dry, Medium Acidity, Medium-High Alcohol Dominant Flavors: Lemon, Yellow Apple, Melon, Nectarine, Peach Origin: France How to Serve: Serve sparkling Chardonnay between 38 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit, Chablis around 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and oak-aged styles around 55 degrees Fahrenheit in a white wine glass. Pairing Suggestion: Oysters or Panzanella Salad 7. Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon blanc, pronounced saw-vin-yawn blonk, is a light-bodied white wine from France. France remains the largest producer of sauvignon blanc wine grapes, but it is now grown worldwide. It is known for its green, herbal flavors and essences of gooseberries, green melon, grapefruit, white peach, and passion fruit. While it has very little body, it makes up for it with a striking sour tang imparted by its strong acidity. Sauvignon blanc has a medium-low dryness and its alcohol content is average. It’s served ice cold in a white wine glass. Sauvignon blanc pairs wonderfully with herby sauces whether that be Italian pesto sauce or Asian basil stir fry. For cheese, it is an excellent complement to soft, flavorful options like feta, goat cheese, and Camembert. To preserve its herbal, zesty flavor sauvignon blanc is usually aged in steel tanks. Robert Mondavi made barrel-aged sauvignon blanc famous in the 1970s when he renamed it fume blanc. When it’s barrel-aged, sauvignon blanc has a creamy flavor while retaining the green, herbal notes that it’s known for. The terrior of its growing region also affects the flavor of the wine. Sauvignon blanc wine grapes grown in cooler climates like the Loire Valley in France will exhibit lime flavors. The same grapes, when grown in warmer climates like the northern coast of California, offer flavors of white peach. New Zealand sauvignon blanc is prized for its passion fruit flavor. When grown in moderate climates, it exhibits stronger gooseberry and melon flavors. Profile: Herbal, Very Light Body, Very Sour, Dry, Average Alcohol Dominant Flavors: Lemon, Yellow Apple, Melon, Nectarine, Peach Origin: France How to Serve: Serve sauvignon blanc between 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit in a white wine glass. Pairing Suggestion: Pesto Gnocchi or Thai Basil Tomato Stir Fry 8. Riesling Riesling, pronounced REESE-ling, is an aromatic white wine prized for its heavily perfumed and sweet aroma. It’s a fruit-forward wine with dominant flavors of lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum. Riesling’s acidity levels are on par with lemonade, and it has little body. It can either be dry or sweet, and the sweeter varieties contain even less alcohol than their drier counterparts. It’s served fridge cold in a white wine glass. Thanks to its acidity and sweetness, riesling pairs wonderfully with spicy foods like those found in Indian and Asian cuisine. For a cheese pairing, delicately flavored and soft cow’s milk cheese pairs well with riesling. Riesling originated in Germany, and Germany remains the top producer, and its riesling is considered the best in the world. German riesling wines range from very sweet to dry, so they have different labels to designate their sweetness. Rieslings labeled Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) or Beerenauslese (BA) are very sweet. Auslese and Spatlese range from medium sweet to sweet. Kabinett and Halbtrocken are off-dry. Feinherb and Trocken are dry. In the USA, Washington State and New York produce dry and sweet riesling. Clare and Eden Valley in Australia produce dry riesling that has an aroma of lime and petrol. French riesling from Alsace is usually dry. Profile: Fruit-Forward, Very Light Body, Off-Dry, Very Sour, Low Alcohol Dominant Flavors: Lime, Green Apple, Beeswax, Jasmine, Petroleum Origin: Germany How to Serve: Serve riesling fridge cold (43 degrees Fahrenheit) in a white wine glass. Pairing Suggestion: Tikka Masala or Thai Green Curry 9. Port Wine Port is a sweet, fortified dessert wine from Douro, Portugal made from a unique blend of Portuguese indigenous grapes. All Port wines are still made in Portugal to this day. Fortified wines are preserved with additional spirits before all the grape sugar ferments; the addition of the high-alcohol spirit stops the fermentation process. Port is usually fortified with aguardiente, a type of brandy. Due to its intoxicating sweetness and alcohol contents, 3 oz. is considered a standard serving of Port wine, and it’s served in petite Port wine glasses at room temperature. It’s typically paired with rich, flavorful cheeses, sweets like chocolates and caramels, and salty or smokey nuts. Port is often used in cooking as a decadent ingredient in chocolate cakes and sauces, or chefs simmer it into a reduction sauce and drizzle it over steaks and other savory dishes. Port’s dominant flavors are ripe blackberry, raspberry sauce, cinnamon, candy apple, and star anise. It is full-bodied, very astringent, highly alcoholic, and has an average acidity. While there are many categories of Port, most fall into one of four styles: ruby, white, rose, or tawny. Ruby-style Port includes LBV (late bottled vintages) and delivers strong red fruit and chocolate flavors accented by a spicy acidity. White-style Ports are made with white grapes indigenous to Portugal and offer flavors of dried peaches, tangerine zest, white pepper, and incense. Rose-style Ports use the rose fermentation process and deliver notes of honey, strawberry, cinnamon, and framboise liquor. The basic quality version of Port wine will age for over 15 years, and certain Port wines, like Vintage and Crusted Port, age for 30 to 50 years. Profile: Fruit Forward, Full Boded, Astringent, Highly Alcoholic, Average Acidity Dominant Flavors: Ripe Blackberry, Raspberry Sauce, Cinnamon, Candy Apple, Star Anise Origin: Portugal How to Serve: Serve around 60 degrees Fahrenheit in a Port wine glass. Pairing Suggestion: Chocolate Poached Pear Cake or Ruby Chocolate Truffles 10. Merlot Merlot, pronounced murr-low, is a dry red wine with dominant flavors of raspberry, black cherry, sugar plum, chocolate, and cedar. It’s often mistaken for cabernet sauvignon in blind tastings because the two wines are closely related, but this sophisticated wine deserves a spotlight of its own. It has a medium-full body, tannins, and fruit flavors. Its alcohol content is medium-high, and it has an average acidity. As a medium-full-bodied red wine, merlot falls into the “food wine” category, prized for its ability to pair well with a wide variety of dishes. It makes an excellent accompaniment to rich red meat meals like short ribs, pizzas, and pasta dishes. Serve merlot at room temperature in an oversized wine glass after decanting it for approximately 30 minutes. Merlot wine grapes originated in the Bordeaux region of France. France remains the top merlot producer; it is the most planted grape variety in Bordeaux. However, there are now merlot growing regions worldwide. In Italy, merlot is cultivated in Tuscany, Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. American merlot regions include Washington State and California’s Sonoma and Napa Valleys. Both South and Western Australia cultivate merlot, as does South Africa. The terroir and climate of the region affect the flavor of the merlot it produces. Merlot grown in cool climates produces red currant and red plum flavors, and warmer climates yield flavors of sugarplum and berry jam. Profile: Medium-Full Body, Average Acidity, Astringent, Medium-High Alcohol Dominant Flavors: Raspberry, Black Cherry, Sugar Plum, Chocolate, Cedar Origin: Bordeaux, France How to Serve: Serve merlot at room temperature in an oversized wine glass. Pairing Suggestion: Filet Mignon and Root Vegetable Chips or Chimichurri and Steak Flatbread Back to Top Whether you’re interested in the differences between merlot and cabernet sauvignon, or you want to know how sweet riesling is, our guide to the most popular types of wine answers your questions. Use it as a reference as you explore different regional varieties of these wines. Offer nuanced knowledge of your customers tried and true classics that give them a deeper appreciation for the wines you’re serving.

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