How You Hold Your Wine Glass Says More About You Than You Think
Take another good look around the group of wine-drinking companions at the next drinks gathering. The way you hold your wine glass actually says quite a bit more about you than you think…
And then the question is: how many ‘alcoholics’ can you count in the group?!
Type 1: the alcoholic
Because yes, if we are to believe etiquette expert William Hanson (who also taught us how to eat pizza, peas and crème brûlée properly), an alcoholic holds a wine glass in a typical way. Namely by the bowl—and that is a method that is not exactly appreciated in the wine world. If you grab the bowl, your hand warms the wine. Plus, your greasy fingers leave marks on the glass. Real no-gos. Why alcoholics grab their wine glass by the bowl is unclear. Maybe because it gives them a better grip and lets them pour the contents down their throats as quickly as possible?
Remarkably, in royal circles, this way of holding a wine glass is not considered an etiquette mistake at all. In fact, if you have blue blood, holding the bowl is ‘the proper way’. In the past, it was a way to show that you were of royal descent. It demonstrated that your hands were clean and did not smell. See someone in your group holding a wine glass by the bowl? Then there are two options: either you are dealing with an alcoholic, or with a descendant of the House of Orange.
Type 2: the show-off (or pimp)
According to Hanson, you are not supposed to hold your wine glass by the base either. That supposedly indicates that you are a ponce: a rather pretentious person. (Or a pimp, which ponce apparently also means.) Besides, it is rather impractical, don’t you think? One bump and your wine is guaranteed to spill over the rim. And we all know: the later it gets, the greater the chance.
This is how you really do it
No, there is only one correct way to hold your wine glass, and that is by the stem. That is the official wine etiquette. This way, your wine stays at the ideal temperature, you do not dirty the glass and you can easily swirl the wine in your glass.
Now, I can easily imagine that an evening of wine drinking brings out quite a few personalities. That you start out politely holding the stem, and end up with the bowl in your hand. On the bar. Hanging halfway into the lights. Well, by around 3:00 a.m., we are all alcoholics for a little while, right?
Also read:
- This wine glass is (almost) never empty
- The baguette etiquette
- These 11 etiquette rules you don’t know yet
Image in article: @williamhanson
