Easy Tips for How to Serve Wine Like a Professional

Serving wine can often seem complicated and overblown with all the rules. Demystify those misconceptions and learn how to serve wine like a pro.

Everyone’s been there: you’re having a glass of wine with friends at your place, and suddenly, someone’s pointing out how it doesn’t taste right, or the glass isn’t correct. The dreaded wine friend can make you feel nervous or inadequate. After all, how could anyone possibly know so many rules, types, and regulations of wine? You can!

Here are a few easy tips for how to serve serve wine like a professional, so you can show that wine friend that you know your stuff.

Serving Wine in the Right Glassware

There is a delicate balance in exposing the wine to the proper amount of oxygen. A small amount of exposure can significantly enhance and harmonize the flavors and aromas. However, too much oxidation can make it spoil quickly. This is why proper glassware is essential.

Whether full- or light-bodied, you should put red wines in a decanter and pour them into a larger glass, never a flute. Flutes and smaller glasses are for white or sparkling wines . In addition, remember to never use a stemless glass as holding it can quickly warm the drink up, and serving wine at its correct temperature also significantly affects the taste.

How to Serve Wine by Pouring it Right

Often, people learn to pour alcohol at an angle so that it hits the side of the glass as you pour it. The idea is that this prevents foam build-up and prevents it from getting too much “collar.” However, this only applies to beer. Wine is the exact opposite.

You should hold a wine bottle at the lower half with the tip of the neck barely resting at the lip of the glass. This will ensure that the pour goes straight down and doesn’t hit the side of the glass. When learning how to serve wine, remember, wine glasses hold and enhance the aroma, so don’t overfill, or you run the risk of ruining the flavor.

If the wine hits the side of the glass, you aerate it much faster. This ramps up the oxidation process, which, as mentioned before, can affect the taste.

RELATED: 6 Tips for Serving and Storing Wine

Hold the Glass Correctly

Honestly, you can hold a wine glass however you’d like. Just remember to avoid grabbing it at the base so that it doesn’t heat up too quickly. But if you want to look fancy, there are a few ways to hold the stem properly. You can either pinch the stem, hold it with your thumb and forefinger, or pinch it at the base. These methods ensure that you don’t heat the wine and leave fingerprints on the glass.

These easy tips for how to serve wine like a professional will help you show off at your next wine tasting or night in. Just remember to keep oxygen and temperature in mind, and you’re on your way to showing that wine friend you know how to sip like a pro.

This story originally appeared in Cuisine Noir Magazine