There’s something classy in knowing your wines but more than that, you should also know how to conduct yourself appropriately such as how to properly drink wine – thanks to movies and assumptions, many hold the glass wrongly but this guide will help you with your knowledge and put you on the path of becoming a wine connoisseur.

Drink to taste not to get drunk

As a teen, you might drink wine as a means of getting a nice buzz as wines are stronger than beer and there are cheap options that will set you back as much as a six-pack would. Now when you pick up a glass, think about sampling it and adding the taste to your library of wine flavours. Soon enough, you will be able to pick up on the subtle differences.

You should always look at the origin and vintage and associate the two with what you’re tasting. If you’re familiar with Merlots or a certain brand, break the habit of reaching for something you’ve tried before and get out of your comfort zone. Pick up a 1982 Latour Wine or a Shiraz instead. Shiraz and Merlots are strikingly similar, but over time you’ll be able to identify them. However, don’t let this exercise get in the way of you enjoying the wine. But the basics are: look, smell, taste, and think.

Holding it right

Don’t cup the glass of the wine glass but rather hold the long stem and rest your hand on the base. While you are more than welcomed to hold the glass however you like, social etiquette dictates that we keep up appearances when we are trying to act civilized. That, and because we don’t want to get our fingerprints on the wineglass which is unsightly. Lastly, holding the glass by the stem keeps the wine cool longer. If you’re served wine in a shot glass, you’re more than entitled to judge them and throw it back.

Pour it right

Another way people can tell whether you are faking it is by watching how you pour and serve wine. Wine should never be served in a full glass but rather, the glass should only be half full. This allows the wine to breathe. However, before you even pour it, you should take care to remove the cork so nothing falls into the bottle and remove the wrapping or foil around the lip of the bottle – this is not for appearance’s sake, but rather because sometimes the material contains lead. Following that, you should wipe the bottle’s opening with a clean cloth to make sure there is no debris left behind. Nothing is more embarrassing than having a piece of foil fall into your customer or friend’s glass, especially if they are someone you’re trying to impress.

What’s in a glass?

Not all wine glasses are made the same, some are fatter and wider whereas some are dainty little things but they all serve a purpose. The bigger glasses are usually used to decant full-bodied wines whereas the smaller glasses are for sweet reds.