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During summer 2023, we spend 32 hours testing 22 vessels to select the 4 best wine glasses to consider adding to your collection. As we welcomed product testers to our labs to swirl, sniff, and sip in each of the options, we noticed that there are about as many ways to hold a wine glass as there are grape varietals those glasses might contain.

After spotting some celebrities on social media grasping glasses a wide variety of ways, we were reminded of this fact and decided it was high time to clear up a common conundrum: how do you hold a wine glass? We tapped several sommeliers from coast to coast to spill.

Meet the Experts

David Osenbach, wine director at Providence restaurant in Los Angeles, California
Carolyn Lassen, sommelier at Husk Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee
Michael Myers, beverage director at Counter- in Charlotte, North Carolina

The Benefits of Mastering How to Hold a Wine Glass

Whether you’re enjoying red, white, rosé, sparkling, or orange wine, “holding the glass correctly helps you get the most possible enjoyment out of a glass of wine, while being able to experience the wine in the way it was meant to be experienced,” Osenbach says.

The sommeliers we spoke to agree that the optimal solutions for how to hold a wine glass:

Feel secure and comfortable
Safeguard the wine from unnecessary changes in temperature (from warm hands)
Distance the wine from strong scents, such as hand lotions or perfumes
Keep the bowl of the glass clean from cloudy fingerprints
Allow you to swirl the wine and allow for aeration so you can fully experience the flavors and aromas
Help you look cool and impress others you’re enjoying wine alongside

The Best Ways to Hold a Wine Glass

If you’re wondering how to hold a wine glass like a sommelier, you have two options:

By the stem, with your fingers clutching the thin piece of glass that connects the bowl to the base
By the base, with your thumb above and a few fingers below one side of the flat piece at the bottom of the glass

“I don't necessarily prefer one way to another; the biggest thing for me is safety and comfort,” Myers says. “You want to make sure that you are comfortable holding the glass (it looks and feels awkward when you aren't comfy!), and most importantly, safety.”

It doesn't matter if you look cool or are holding it the "right" way if there's a chance of the wine spilling, you’re at risk of dropping the glass, or might otherwise break the glass.

Osenbach prefers holding his wine glasses or champagne glasses by the stem since it’s more secure, easier to grip, and smoother to pick up and set down.

Whether you’re juggling a notebook, pen, and a wine glass, as Osenbach often is at industry events, or are trying to balance a plate of snacks and your glass at a cocktail party, you have Osenbach’s permission to hold your glass any which way that means you won’t drop it or spill it.

“The stem is there for a reason: to hold,” Myers adds, officially confirming to us that the best way to hold a wine glass (for the majority of us) is by the stem.

So what if your wine glass is stemless?

“I recommend holding the glass near the top as you enjoy your wine. This way you can ensure that the least amount of heat is being transferred to the wine in the bottom of the glass,” Lassen says. “However, a wine glass with a stem is definitely the ideal vessel for enjoying wine.”

The Worst Way to Hold a Wine Glass

Osenbach admits that it’s not “the worst thing ever,” but the less-than-ideal choice is to hold a stemmed wine glass with your palms wrapped around the bowl.

“Heat from your hands and fingers can transfer to the glass, and may warm it up to an undesirable temperature,” Lassen confirms.

Although less important in terms of the wine itself, another big reason sommeliers recommend you hold a wine glass by the stem rather than the glass is for aesthetics.

“Your fingers can leave prints on the glass,” Lassen says. “You probably don’t want to be drinking a nice glass of wine with smudges all over your glass!”

That being said, your hands probably aren’t so hot that they’ll make a major difference, Osenbach counters, “and even if they were, you’ll probably finish the wine before you’d even notice.”

If the wine is too cold, this “worst way” can actually become a fairly wise choice, Osenbach says.

“People tend to serve white wines a little too cold anyway, so there might be times where putting your hands on the bowl of the glass is a good idea,” he says. This will help bring your drink closer to the ideal white wine serving temperature of between 45°F and 55°F.