How To Hold a Wine Glass Properly

Nobody thinks about how they’re holding a wine glass until somebody tells them they’re holding it wrong.

Then suddenly you’re at dinner staring at your own fingers as if you’ve never used a hand before.

Thumb here? Two fingers there? Pinky up? Pinky down?

Relax, there is a proper way to hold a wine glass, but it is much less dramatic than wine etiquette has made it sound.

Hold a stemmed wine glass by the stem, usually between your thumb, index finger and middle finger. Try not to hold the bowl.

That’s the answer, your hand stays away from the wine, the glass stays cleaner, and you can swirl it without warming everything inside.

Now, if you want to know what your other fingers are supposed to be doing, apparently we have options.

The Proper Way to Hold a Wine Glass

There isn’t only one acceptable grip. As long as you’re comfortably holding the stem rather than wrapping your hand around the bowl, you’re already doing most of it right.

Here are four easy ways.

1. The Thumb and Two-Finger Hold

This is probably the easiest one.

Hold the lower part of the stem gently between your thumb, index finger and middle finger. Let the other fingers rest naturally, that’s it.

No need to arrange every finger like you’re solving a puzzle. If someone hands you a wine glass at a tasting and you suddenly become aware that you have hands, use this one.

2. Pinch the stem.

Pinch the stem gently between your thumb and index finger and let the remaining fingers fall naturally underneath.

It looks elegant because it is simple, and no, the pinky doesn’t need to go anywhere special.

Leave the poor thing alone.

3. Hold the Stem Near the Base.

You can also hold the glass lower down.

Pinch the stem just above the base with your thumb and index finger, using another finger for support if needed.

This keeps your hand even farther away from the bowl and gives you plenty of room to swirl the wine.

It does feel slightly more sophisticated.

Whether it actually makes the wine taste better is another matter entirely.

4. Hold the Glass by the Base.

Yes, holding the base is perfectly acceptable too.

Place your thumb lightly on top of the base and support it from underneath with one or two fingers.

I wouldn’t choose this as my first technique at a crowded party. It isn’t quite as secure as simply holding the stem.

But done comfortably, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Why Do We Hold a Wine Glass by the Stem?

This is the part that matters more than etiquette, Your hands are warm.

When you wrap your hand around the bowl, some of that heat transfers to the wine.

With red wine, a brief touch isn’t going to cause an international incident. But with chilled white or sparkling wine, holding the bowl for long periods can warm the wine faster than you want.

Then there are fingerprints, a beautiful clear wine glass becomes considerably less beautiful once you’ve left half your handprint on it.

Holding the stem also makes swirling easier. And swirling isn’t just something people do at tastings to look knowledgeable. There’s a reason behind why we swirl wine and what it actually does to what’s in the glass.

So the stem isn’t decorative, someone gave it a job.

How to Hold a Red Wine Glass

The basic rule doesn’t change because the wine is red.

Red wines are usually served warmer than whites, so temperature is slightly less sensitive. But the stem still keeps fingerprints off the bowl and makes the glass easier to swirl.

And if you’ve ever wondered why some red wine glasses look big enough to house a small goldfish, there is a reason. Red wine is served in bigger glasses because the larger bowl can change how the wine interacts with air and how its aromas reach you.

So yes, that enormous glass has a purpose, mostly.

How to Hold a White Wine Glass

White wine follows the same rule:

Hold the stem, not the bowl.

If anything, this matters more with white wine because it is generally served cooler.

You’ve chilled the bottle. You’ve poured the wine at the temperature you wanted.

It seems a little unfair to immediately wrap two warm hands around it.

Hold the stem and let the wine stay cool.

No drama required.

Should You Never Hold the Bowl?.

This is where wine etiquette sometimes gets unnecessarily serious.
Is holding the bowl technically the proper way? No.
Should you avoid it when there’s a stem available? Yes.
But if you accidentally grab the bowl, nobody needs to confiscate your Chianti.
The problem with holding the bowl isn’t that it makes you look uncultured. It’s simply less practical. You warm the wine, leave fingerprints on the glass and make it harder to see the wine clearly.
That’s all.
The wine will forgive you.

What About a Stemless Wine Glass?

Obviously, we’ve now run into a problem.

There is no stem.

So yes, hold the bowl.

Try holding the glass toward its lower half rather than wrapping both hands around it, particularly if the wine is chilled. Stemless glasses are convenient, sturdy and difficult to hold incorrectly.

Perhaps they were invented by someone who had grown tired of wine etiquette.

I understand.

Does It Really Matter How You Hold a Wine Glass?

Yes.

But probably not as much as you’ve been led to believe.

Holding the stem helps control temperature, keeps the glass clean and makes swirling easier, those are practical reasons. What I don’t want is for anybody to become so worried about holding a wine glass “properly” that drinking the wine stops being enjoyable, wine has enough rules already.

How to store it. How to serve it. Which glass to use. What temperature it should be. When to open it.

Even properly serving wine can become an entire conversation.

Your fingers don’t need to become another source of anxiety.

The Only Wine Glass Rule You Really Need to Remember

Forget the four techniques if you want.

Forget which finger goes where.

Forget what your pinky is doing.

Just remember:

If the glass has a stem, hold the stem.

That’s really it.

And the next time somebody hands you a wine glass, you won’t suddenly stare at your own hand wondering what to do with it.

You’ll take the stem.

You’ll drink the wine.

Which was rather the point in the first place.

And honestly, after practicing it a few times, holding the bowl starts to feel a little strange anyway. 🍷

Do let me know if you have other ways you hold your wine glass, also, do read our 9 wine Etiquette to know and 12 Wine Myths Debunked