Wine Serving: Proper Pours, Temperature and Enjoyment
Thanks so much for all of the love on our last video, “Shipping Wine Explained.” We had a lot of people who really appreciate the information we’ve been providing, and we hope to keep bringing you valuable information for wine consumers and purchasers. My blog posts are supposed to be informative about AJA, but also about wine in general. As a sommelier, I feel it’s my duty to help people know the ins and outs of enjoying wine. You don’t need to be an expert on a specific region or variety to enjoy wine properly, you just need to know how and where to purchase it, where you can get the best options, and honestly, just what you like. We’ve got a few more tips to help you along the way.
What Is a Proper Serving of Wine?
We’d all like to think a proper wine serving is whatever fits in Courtney Cox’s Cougar Town wine glass, to the top, right? But when serving wine, it’s important to stick to the standard pours.
Every restaurant has its own take on this, but it’s pretty standard to pour between 4 and 6 oz per glass. That’s the standard pour for a dry or off-dry wine commonly enjoyed with food. In my experience, steakhouse restaurants tend to pour heavier, starting at six ounces, and some gastropubs offer 9 oz pours on the menu at a higher price.
Certain types of wine, like sparkling wines and dessert wines, generally get smaller pours, such as 3 oz. Sparkling and dessert wines tend to have higher sugar content than other wines, which makes them more appealing in smaller doses.
When you order wine service at a restaurant and purchase a bottle to share between up to 6 people, the server or sommelier will generally pour 4 oz pours. It’s a different situation with a bigger group: the sommelier’s goal is to evenly distribute the wine available, so with ten people hoping for a glass from one bottle, expect a 2 to 2.5 oz pour, and order another bottle!
Keep Your Wine at the Correct Temperature
Store wine between 37 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve light white, sparkling, and rosé wines between 37 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve fuller-bodied whites and light reds between 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and full-bodied reds between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
I hope these wine serving tips help you the next time you serve and enjoy wine!
Cheers,
Amanda