Does It Matter How Much I Pour? Why?

Is there a proper amount of wine to pour in a wine glass? The fact that this is a concern for you shows that you are after a more refined wine drinking experience.

There is a proper size of wine to pour and it depends very much on the glass you are pouring into. The goal of wine glass design is to accentuate the flavor of wine by allowing aeration (wide bowl) and concentrating the aroma to your nose (narrow rim) for a full-flavored sip that enhances the wine to its full potential.

Therefore the proper amount of wine to pour in a wine glass is the amount that will best allow a wine to aerate (or breathe) in that particular glass and allow you to swirl the wine without spilling.

What Is Aeration?

So what is aeration and why is it important? Aeration is simply allowing the wine to mix with the air. Many people use the word “breathe” instead of aeration.

There is a chemical reaction when the O2 (oxygen) in the air touches the wine called oxidation. We won’t go into a full chemistry lesson, but suffice it to say that oxidation can be a good thing for wines.

Oxidation will make the wine taste smoother. It’s a bad thing if the wine is left out too long though as oxidation will eventually age the wine, combined with CO2 (carbon dioxide), and make the wine acidic.

Aeration’s effect on wine depends on the type of wine. For example, 99% of white wines do not need aeration. Red wines on the other hand are complex. Aeration has the biggest impact on wines with high tannins (Merlots, Shiraz, Chianti, Cabernets) and young wines, which are usually high in tannins.

Does The Glass Matter?

All of that being said, you will want to choose a wine glass that will accentuate the flavor of wine through proper aeration, swirling and give the wine nose (bouquet smell). LUCARIS crystal wine glasses are all designed with this in mind, making them the perfect wine glass of choice for your favorite wines.

You haven’t tried wine until you’ve tried it in a LUCARIS wine glass.