When you’re not in the privacy of your own home (snorting a bottle of wine down with your favorite coffee mug) you’ll want to employ some wine etiquette. Etiquette is one of those things that, on the surface, seems unnecessary but it is a powerful tool. It is the outward way of showing that you are, indeed, not a monster.
Wine etiquette can be useful in many situations:
- Business dinners
- Meeting the parents
- Formal gatherings
- Classy dinner dates
So, here are some of the most important practices to become familiar with:
9 Wine Etiquette Habits to Know
Hold your glass by the stem or the base. | |
Smell your wine. Sniff it, taste it, and think about it. | |
Try to drink from the same position on your wine glass to reduce unsightly mouth marks | |
When opening a wine bottle, try to do it quietly, like a ninja | |
When clinking: clink glasses bell to bell (it reduces breakage) and look your clinking-buddy in the eye. | |
Pouring wine? hold the bottle towards the base. | |
Fill your glass less than half way to give your wine room to breathe. | |
Try to keep your portion of drinking equivalent to the other people around you. | |
Offer wine to others before pouring seconds for yourself. |
Break the Ice
One of our favorite restaurant tricks is to preorder a bottle of white or sparkling wine for the table before people are seated. People melt with delight when the bottle comes out before they’ve even had a chance to look at a menu. And, you’ll be the guy/girl who was thoughtful enough to pull it off. Ooo!