Holding the Glass

There three ways to hold a wine glass; the wrong way, the right way and the wierd way. The wrong way is to hold the glass by the bowl. The serving temperature of wine is important. If wine is drunk much above 70 degrees the alcohol will have an unpleasant bite. If you hold the glass by the bowl you hand will heat the wine.

The right way to hold a wine glass is by the stem, a bit down from the bowl. The stem acts to insulate the bowl from the temperature of your hand, thus helping to preserve the serving temperature of the wine. Holding the glass by the stem also keeps your finger prints off of the bowl, which would otherwise distract from the visual appeal of the wine.

The wierd way (at least the most impractical way) to hold a wine glass is by the base (sometimes referred to as the “pinch” method). Pinching the base of the glass between your thumb and the side of your index finger certainly keeps you hand off of the bowl, but it also makes the wine difficult to drink and requires two hands to set the glass down. Not to mention it just looks pretentious. I’ve seen a lot of wine makers and vineyard owners hold their glass in this way, but I don’t understand why.