Imagine you are at a wine tasting or you are a guest somewhere and wine is being served. It's embarrassing if you don't know how to hold the wine glass properly. You might think it doesn't matter if you hold the glass by the stem or by the belly, but it actually makes a difference to the quality of the wine. So: How do you hold a wine glass correctly?
Why do you hold a wine glass in a certain way?
There is actually proper etiquette on how a wine glass should be held. While casual wine drinkers clasp the wine glass to their stomach, wine lovers see this as wrong, and there are several reasons for this:
On the one hand, you leave fingerprints on the glass, which looks unattractive and also makes the wine appear less appetising. More importantly, however, the hand influences the temperature of the wine, so the wine becomes warmer than it ideally should be. The temperature has a decisive effect on the flavour of the wine, as certain aromas only come into their own at the right temperature.
If you hold the glass by the stem, you can swirl the wine better. Swirling mixes the liquid in the glass with the oxygen in the air and allows the wine to "breathe". This allows the wine to develop its full flavour.
And finally, the hand that holds the glass can change the colour of the wine.
The wine glass has such a long stem for a reason!
So the next time you drink wine, hold the glass by the stem so that the wine brings out its colour and does not lose its aroma due to the temperature.
Why are there stemless wine glasses?
Stemless wine glasses are versatile, as they can also be used to serve cocktails or soft drinks. They also don't break as easily as glasses with a long stem. With stemless wine glasses, you obviously have to hold the glass by your stomach, which is why they are recommended for more informal occasions.
If you are serving wine in stemless wine glasses, choose a less complex, simple wine whose flavour is less affected by temperature.
What does it say about you, the way you hold your wine glass?
Social scientists have carried out research into what the way a wine glass is held says about a person's character. According to this research, people who hold their wine glass to their stomach are those who like to gossip.
People who playfully hold their glass by the stem with their fingers spread apart like to flirt and seek contact. And people who hold their wine glass with both hands are considered shy.
