WINE MYTH BUSTED:
THE
PROPER WAY TO HOLD A WINEGLASS
MYTH #2: A wineglass must be held by the stem.
ASSUMPTION:
If you hold a wineglass by the bowl, rather than the stem, you will warm the wine past its recommended temperature.
THE MISCONCEPTION
It is a common misconception that the only true way to hold a wineglass is by the stem. Most wine purists, aka. “snobs”, advocate holding and swirling by the stem in order to minimize greasy fingerprints and prevent wine from warming above its target temperature. But what happens when the glass has no stem, such as the new fashionable wine tumblers?!?! Should you deny yourself the pleasure of drinking a glass of wine because the glass itself is not properly equipped with the right attributes? Is holding a glass of wine by anything but the stem really breaking some kind of etiquette or established wine protocol?
 These questions have been raised quite a bit recently due to the growing popularity of wineglass tumblers such as the Riedel "O", which is being touted as “the ideal glass for every day use and for every occasion”. First thing to notice with these unique wineglasses is the fact that they have no stem. This makes them convenient for times when a traditional wineglass would be difficult to use, like at the poolside, on a boat, at a picnic or in the presence of dogs with active tails. The compact design also makes them convenient to store if cabinet space is limited and easier to wash because their ability to safely go into the dishwasher.
But regardless of what kind of wineglass you are using that wine snob standing next to you still insists that the proper way to hold a wineglass is by the stem. And that any other way, such as holding the glass by its body/bowl, will warm the wine with body heat.
REALITY
That’s all well and good, but in practical use holding a wineglass by the bowl is just fine. Really, unless you wrap both hands around the body of your glass, as if it were the Holy Grail, or you hold the glass for an extremely long time (we’re talking hours), you really aren't going to warm the wine up any faster than the air would. Who holds a glass of wine that long anyway, without drinking it? You should be able to drink several glasses of wine in that time!
 Even if you are the slowest wine drinker in the history of the world, typically people pick up a glass of wine, take a drink, and then put it back down. So contact between your hand and the body of the glass is minimal. But there are instances where you might hold your glass for a long time such as at a party. Well, unlike a can of beer that you wrap your whole hand around with the palm pressed across the outside, wineglasses are usually held with the ends of your fingers and thumb. Because of this much less surface area of the glass is in contact with your hand (since your palm is not touching the glass). Also, any heat transferred to the wineglass from your hand is not immediately transferred to the wine because it must first pass through the glass itself. And given that you usually hold a glass by the top or middle of the body, while the wine sits at the bottom of the bowl, it takes considerably longer for the transferred heat to get there. This provides ample opportunity for the heat to escape into the air before it reaches the wine.
But what about those greasy fingerprints that are transferred to the glass by holding it by the bowl? To that we say…who really cares! Wine is meant to be enjoyed, not worshipped over. So what if some fingerprints get on your glass? It’s not like there’s a fish swimming around in there that you need to constantly keep and eye on. Do people worry about getting fingerprints on their martini or rocks glasses when having a cocktail? The answer is no. So, why should you be any more sensitive over a wine glass?
OUR ADVICE
The truth is that you should hold your wineglass anyway you want! Because in the end, drinking wine is all about personal enjoyment. The belief that casually holding a wineglass by the bowl causes the wine to heat up past an acceptable drinking temperature is ridiculous. This is just another example of ridged wine rules keeping the average wine drinker down. So, if you enjoy holding a glass of wine by the body, stem or even the base then go for it. No fundamental law of the universe is being violated.
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