Superior Sips: The Ins and Outs of Wine Etiquette

Sample wines from various regions and countries to learn how weather patterns and soil affect grapes and the resulting wines. New Africa/Shutterstock

There’s much more to looking sophisticated with a glass in hand than “Swirl, Sniff, and Sip”—or in other words, to release the aromatic scents, identify fruits and flavors, and taste.

Before you raise your glass, you’ll want to ...

Wine tastings can be both fun and educational. Jack Frog/Shutterstock

Know Your Grapes

Even if you were born in a vineyard, you’d have to learn about wines just like everybody else. Start with the basics, such as how reds differ from whites. Sample wines from various regions and countries to learn how weather patterns and soil affect grapes and the resulting wines.

If you have a local wine store with friendly, knowledgeable staff, pick their brains for suggestions. Sign up for wine-tasting events at which you can explore dessert wines, dry wines, full-bodied wines, and even champagne to discover the difference between a riesling and a chardonnay, and a merlot from a syrah.

Stemware Science

A glass is a glass, right? Not so much; it turns out the shape matters. It can be daunting to know which glass to use with what wine, but not to worry—companies such as Riedel have information online that makes it easy to choose the stemware that enhances the enjoyment of the wine.

But before you choose the glasses, consider the decanter. Designed to expose the wine to oxygen and thus enhance the flavor, especially so with older vintages, decanters also help to separate any sediment that may be present. Swirling a very light wine in the glass may oxygenate it, but isn’t very effective on a full-bodied wine and won’t remove sediment.

If in doubt as to which wine to choose for a meal, ask the wine steward for their opinion of a good pairing, advise them of your preferences and budget, and describe what you will be eating. Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

Don’t Be Pretentious

Don’t simply go for the most expensive wine on the list. Learn before you order to know what wines pair best with specific foods or portions of the meal. As an example, white wines go well while nibbling on cheese prior to dining on fresh-caught seafood, with a muscat reserved for dessert. Red wines are a good choice when dining on steak, and it’s hard to go wrong with a Chianti when enjoying Italian food. As you learn more, you’ll be even better at selecting a wine that perfectly complements the meal.

Let the Server Serve

Whether dining out or at a dinner party, allow the server or your host to pour the wine. Unless it’s a very casual affair, there should be a designated server. If in doubt as to which wine to choose, ask the wine steward for their opinion of a good pairing, advise them of your preferences and budget, and describe what you will be eating. If you are the guest for dinner and are being allowed to choose the wine, offer to pick up the tab. At a minimum, offer to split the cost of the wine and, if any is left over, by all means, take it home.

Enhance your wine repertoire with knowledge about grapes, decanters, and stemware. New Africa/Shutterstock

Attend Wine Tastings

Local wine retailers and vineyards often host wine tastings, which can be fun as well as educational. Ask questions about the vintage and the vineyards, and always read the label. Dress as you would for a summertime cocktail party, avoiding heavy perfumes that could interfere with your senses of smell and taste.

Pace yourself, and if a number of wines will be sampled, take only a mouthful to evaluate before delicately spitting it into a cup. Drinking every sample could soon have you reeling. In any case, enjoy responsibly; knowing when to say no is an important part of being a wine enthusiast.