Dirty Laundry Vineyard
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    Why You Should Hold a Wine Glass By The Stem

    Jan 13, 2023

    If you enjoy a glass of wine or two, the chances are you’ve picked up on some of the important wine etiquette. Between properly tasting the wine, using a wine aerator, and meal pairing, there’s a lot to be aware of. Knowing how to hold a wine glass correctly is another element to add into the mix! While holding a glass of wine by its fragile stem may feel a little precarious, it's the proper thing to do—and it can even make your wine more enjoyable to drink.

    

    Why are wine glasses shaped the way they are?

    To the average wine drinker, the shape of a wine glass might not seem important. Afterall, isn’t it what is inside the glass that is important? A wine connoisseur would beg to differ! The shape of a wine glass relative to what is inside it is a very important aspect of the wine tasting journey. Experts have found that the shape of the wine glass has the ability to concentrate the wine’s taste and aroma, which can intensify the wine characteristics, and enhance drinking experience


    Typically, glasses are composed of four parts: the rim, the bowl, the wine glass stem, and the foot. Each is designed to serve a certain purpose. 

    The bowl is undoubtedly the most important part of a wine glass as its shape can impact the way the wine’s aromas are released. However the intensity of wine aromas strongly correlates with the ratio between the diameter of the bowl and the diameter of the opening. 


    Did you know, the space between the wine and the glass’s rim is where aromas are collected, which is why you should not fill the bowl to the top. 5–6 ounces (around 180 ml) is the average pour for a glass of wine.


    Note: There are many more red and white wine glass sizes and shapes than those listed below, however these are the more commonly used. 

    Red Wine Glasses

    Generally, red wine glasses have wider, rounder bowls as this helps to increase the rate of oxidation and highlight the wine’s aromas. However, among red wine glasses there are several different bowl shapes. This most common types are:


    Bordeaux glass    : A tall, broad bowled glass for heavier, dry reds such as Dirty Laundry’s Bordello. You will find notes of brandied cherries, pepper and saskatoon berries as well! It gives a smooth velvety feel and rounds off with baking spices.

     The Bordeaux glass’s wide opening helps smooth the flavour and allows the ethanol to evaporate. 


    Burgundy glass:     A broader-bowled glass intended for lighter, more aromatic reds such as Dirty Laundry’s Gamay. On the nose you will get classic berry notes, raspberry and blueberry jam, and pomegranate. The palate is balanced with bright notes of cranberry, pomegranate, and cedar. 


    Standard red wine glass:     This glass is ideal for medium to full-bodied reds, like Dirty Laundry’s Merlot. With aromas of ripe red berries, cherry liqueur and chocolate covered raisins, this full bodied wine exhibits flavours of black currant, coffee, and dark chocolate with a medium- high tannin structure with a very dry finish. 

    

    White Wine Glasses

    When it comes to white wine, the shapes of the glasses are designed to preserve the clean flavour because lighter, crisp wines shouldn’t be oxidised as much. For this reason, white wine glasses have a much smaller mouth.


    The more popular white wine glass shapes are: 


    Chardonnay glass: This glass has a larger opening, providing just enough aeration to concentrate the aroma of the chardonnay while balancing out the acidity, at the same time enabling the wine’s sweet and oaky notes to be released. Try our 2021 Reserve Chardonnay in one of these glasses to truly experience the aromas of light vanilla wafer, lemon curd, lime zest, apple blossom, and pie crust. 

    Sauvignon Blanc glass: This wine glass is tall and slender with a small enough opening to only introduce a minimum amount of oxygen. When the correct wine glass is used, the delicate tropical notes of Dirty Laundry’s 2021 Sauvignon Blanc wine are captured and delivered straight to the nose, lifting the fruit and the acid structure.


    Champagne flute:     This long, slender glass helps to keep sparkling wine sparkling, retaining the carbonation and capturing the flavour of the wine. The tall, narrow-bowled, long-stemmed design is meant to be held by the stem to prevent your hand from heating the wine. 


    Stemless wine glass:     More popular in recent years, this glass forgoes elegance for a modern look with more stability. They are less likely to spill over as their centre of gravity has been lowered due to the removal of the wine glass stem. Stemless wine glasses also eliminate the possibility of making an etiquette faux-pas as there really is only one way to hold them - by the bowl. However, the wines served in them may be warmed faster as a result. 


    Which brings us to the next question. 


    What is the proper way to hold a stemmed wine glass?


    To get the most out of your wine, you want to hold your glass the way the pros do. The wine glass stem provides the perfect angle and support for swirling the wine without having to move your entire hand and wrist. Hold the glass a little bit lower than you think, toward the base of the stem, pinching it between the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger to maintain control of the glass. You can rest your pinkie against the base of the glass for additional stability. Prevent the wine from rushing out of your glass by keeping your glass at a slight angle when sipping. Drink your wine this way and you will easily fit in at sophisticated social settings. 


    Why are you supposed to hold a wine glass by the stem?

    While it can feel comfortable and sturdier to hold a wine glass by the bowl, doing so can negatively affect the aromas and delicacy of a wine, especially white wine. 


    • Some people say that holding a glass of wine by the bowl rather than the stem can warm the wine in the glass. The human body naturally hovers around 98.6 degrees, but most wine is best served around 65 degrees (room temperature). While temperature is an important part of fully experiencing the wine, it would take quite some time holding a glass of wine by the bowl to heat the wine enough to truly impact the aromas and flavour of the wine. However, when drinking wine that is meant to stay cool, you want to do everything you can to prevent the body heat being passed to the glass, so holding a glass of wine by the stem ensures that you don’t unintentionally warm the wine by even the slightest amount.  On the other hand, if you are served a red wine that is too chilled, you can cup the bowl of the glass in your hands to slightly warm the wine and bring it to an appropriate drinking temperature.
    • Holding a glass of wine by the stem makes it easier to swirl your wine, one of the 5 important S’s in the tasting of wine. Swirling your wine releases the aromas, and if you’re holding the stem while swirling you will be able to aerate the liquid to its maximum potential. 
    • Holding the wine glass by the stem keeps your hands away from your nose, thus reducing the impact that residual scents on your hands have on the aromas of the wine itself. Many hand soaps and sanitizers have a strong scent that is left behind, compromising the wine’s flavour, so it’s better that the dominant hand that is holding the glass is as far away from your nose as possible. 
    • Finally, holding your wine glass by the stem keeps sticky fingerprints from dirtying the bowl of your wine glass!


    Overall, holding a glass of wine by the stem offers a balance between temperature, control, and convenience, allowing you to look like a wine tasting pro, and fit in with any wine connoisseur in your party!


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