The Elegant Way for a Woman to Hold a Wine Glass

Wine is often the perfect drink to include when hosting a celebratory dinner, a fun evening with friends and family, or even colleagues. When it comes to wine, there is something for everyone. Whether you enjoy a bubbly rosé, a crisp white, or a sumptuous red, you can pair your wine with numerous food options. While the food pairings with your wine are important, holding the wine glass correctly is as important as getting the most out of your wine.

Why is it essential to hold the wine glass properly?

Before learning how to hold a glass properly, we must understand the importance of holding the wine glass appropriately. A little pretention doesn’t hurt anyone! It is appealing to look at, but you’ll be blown away by the powerful technique this is. Learning how to hold a wine glass properly isn’t a formal skill or requires special training, but it is helpful. You are in for an optimal wine experience by holding your wine glass properly while looking knowledgeable and cultured.

Proper Way to Hold a Wine Glass

There are a variety of glasses for different wines. To understand the perfect way to hold a wine glass, first, one must find a glass that suits your style and your pour. Wine glasses come in various shapes and sizes; some are round, some are tall, and some are short. For instance, a stemless glass is different than a full-sized glass. The perfect shape and size may differ for all people; hence, the best shape is the one that accommodates your wrist. Finding the ideal glass may require a few experiments.

Stemmed Wine Glass

The general rule for holding a stemmed wine glass is to pinch the stem between your thumb and forefingers. Place your thumb in the middle of the stem and your index, middle, and ring finger on the other side of the stem and build a grasp. The pinky finger can rest against the base for additional stability. Here is what holding a stemmed glass with the stem allows:

• It helps keep the wine as cool as possible. White and Rosé wine is best consumed at slightly cooler temperatures, roughly 40 to 65 degrees.
• Keeping the wine at the right temperature ensures the flavors and sugar in the wine stay at the correct levels.
• When the wine warms up with the warmth of your hands (when holding the glass from the bowl), the flavors begin to muddle.
• It offers stability in holding and keeping the glass back and forth.
• It is challenging to control the glass when you hold it from the base, and holding it from the bowl warms up the wine too quickly.
• However, it is best to hold the glass from its bowl when consuming red wine, as red wines are consumed at room temperatures or slightly higher than average temperature.
• It allows you to swirl your wine which is essential for wine drinking. Swirling the wine releases numerous aromas that are unique to the wine.
• Having a stable and firm grasp is essential for swirling your wine and holding it through the night when unseated.

.Overall, the stem holding your wine glass offers a balance between control, temperature, and convenience.

Stemless Wine Glass

A stemless glass has a different approach than a stem wine glass. Here are a few things one must remember when using a stemless wine glass:

• Firstly, practice your grip on the glass sitting on the table. Ensure the glass isn’t too big or small for your palm or grip.
• Always use your dominant hand while practicing to get a feel of where you’d naturally pick it up.
• Always grasp the glass between the middle and the bottom. If your hand is too close to the bottom, the wine will warm faster. Also, if your hand is the way towards the top, you risk letting the glass slip off your hand and breaking it.

How should a woman hold a wine glass?

In simple terms, women hold a wine glass the same way men do, that is, pinching the stem between the thumb and middle fingertips. There is no appropriate way for men or women to hold a wine glass; this solely depends on the person drinking the wine. However, certain socio-cultural norms have different notions on how a woman should be holding a wine glass, but there are no ground rules for that. A wine glass is an object based on functionality and not gender bias.

Goal-Oriented Hand Positioning

The placement of your fingers largely depends on how comfortable you are holding the wine glass in a specific position and what you want to drive out of your wine. Here are positioning options:

1. The Bow Method

This is one of the best options as it allows you to keep the glass stable between your pinched fingers. This method is perfect for parties that require a lot of standing, as the top finger will enable you to control how far the glass tips back and forth.

2. The Base Pinch

The base pinch technique makes swirling the glass a tad easier. All you need to do is pinch your thumb and pointer finger together at the base of the stem. It is simply perfect if you want to enjoy an aromatic wine.

3. The Full Tilt

The full tilt method is not the most stable way of holding a wine glass; hence, rarely used. It requires putting your thumb on the foot of the glass and then tilting the entire glass up to your nose. This method enables you to see the color of your wine rather quickly.

Final Thoughts

Irrespective of the glass style, the general rules for holding a wine glass remain the same; as long as you keep your fingers off the bowl of the glass, you can customize any of the methods. Gender is no bias when it comes to holding a wine glass.

Check this beginner’s guide to understand the taste of wine.