How to Hold a Wine Glass - Ask Decanter

Does how you hold your wine glass have an impact on the wine?

The reason wine glasses are designed with stems is to ‘keep the glass free of fingerprints, and to ensure that you don’t warm the glass and subsequently the wine,’ said Xavier Rousset MS.

If you hold it by the ‘bowl’, the wine will warm up – particularly a problem when drinking sparkling wines or fresh white wines, which need to be served the coolest.

‘You can better appreciate the colour of the wine and give the wine a more dynamic swirl to release aromas and flavours – and that’s where the magic really starts,’ said Sarah Ahmed, regional chair for Portugal at the Decanter World Wine Awards.