Wine 101: What's the Correct Level to Pour Wine?

• September 20, 2023
• Wine

And why should you care?

By Erin Henderson

The standard sized wine pour is five ounces, or 150 millilitres.

If you’re shocked to learn that – don’t worry, I was surprised as well. It’s understandable. In today’s fashionable wine bars, and even a few chain restaurants, you have a slew of options – demure three ounces for sampling, right up to a hefty “Keg” sized, nine ounce pour (a less sophisticated option, but gets the job done.)

Restaurants often have the somewhat cheapskate-looking lines on the glass to alert the bartender to the appropriate pour – and not one millilitre more – and while these identifying marks will certainly help with the eatery’s PNL, believe it or not… they also help the consumer enjoy what’s in the glass.

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How can this be? I argue the way I will get more pleasure from my wine is if there’s more of it, but there’s a method to the correct-level madness.

Look closely at the lines and you will notice that, for the most part, the lines are level with the widest past of the glass. (Venti servings are excluded from this formula.)

And you will also notice the widest part of the glass, what we call the bowl, is generally about one third of the total volume.

By leaving two-thirds empty, this allows ample room for swirling, a sweet baller move that also has purpose: infusing the wine with air to allow the aromas to open up so you can have a fuller impression of the wine.

Those are the technical reasons. But, of course, you’re an adult and can pour as much as you see fit.

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