Pouring the Perfect Glass of Wine

Today we’re going to discuss the two important facets that go into pouring the optimal glass of wine: how to hold the bottle and how much wine to pour. If you pair this knowledge with what you learned in our previous articles – how to order the right wine and how to properly handle a wine – you’ll definitely be ahead of the crowd when it comes to selecting, pouring and savouring the perfect glass of vino.

How to Pour

Without a doubt, after selection, the second scariest part of handling wine is the fear of spilling it. Liquid has the annoying tendency to stick to glass and drip when it is not poured quickly enough. To avoid embarrassing spills on your table, carpet or worse yet, your date, begin by holding the bottle of wine properly. Pick up the wine bottle from the base and pour directly into the glass in one smooth movement, abruptly stopping when you have poured a sufficient amount (more on that in the next paragraph). To avoid drips, rotate the bottle up and away from you as you lift it away from the glass.

How Much to Pour

When ordering a glass of wine in a restaurant, we’re always more than happy to receive a generous pour. In our own home, we tend to fluctuate between overly generous and overly stingy, depending on the quality and quantity of wine on hand. Regardless of the glass size or wine in question, is there a right or wrong amount of wine to pour? Absolutely! It is universally agreed that there are five glasses of wine per standard 750ml bottle. That equals 150ml (5 ounces) per glass.

Why is 150ml the Standard Pour

Firstly, keep in mind that wine tastes best when it is allowed to breathe. We drink wine from wine glasses and not from normal cups because they are designed to accentuate the aroma and flavor of wine by letting it breathe. A 150ml pour ensures that a standard size glass of wine is not too full, leaving room for the wine to breathe. If remembering and estimating the size of the pour sounds like too much work (especially a few glasses into the evening!), a good rule of thumb is to pour wine to the widest part of the bowl of the wine glass. Unless you’re pouring sparkling wine in flutes, in which case you go to the top (but not the brim). Because wine glasses come in a plethora of shapes and sizes, pouring wine up to the widest part of the bowl, instead of obsessing over the exact quantity (ml) of each pour, will ensure the wine tastes best for that particular glass.

Like most things in life, the best way to perfect your wine pour is to practice, practice, practice. So go forth and forage for your favorite bottle(s) of wine, line up the appropriate LUCARIS wine glasses, pour away and enjoy!