--- title: Are You Holding Your Wine Glass the Wrong Way? description: Over and over again, I see people hold their glasses in one of three bizarre ways, all of which I believe they’ve learned from bad TV. canonical: https://time.com/4426848/holding-wine-glass/ author: Food Wine article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-27T20:00:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:34:51.494Z og:title: You Might Be Holding Your Wine Glass the Wrong Way og:description: Avoid these three common wine glass grips og:url: https://time.com/4426848/holding-wine-glass/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7394d7119e6d9c10/69889fcf0b72e323056ea694/how-to-hold-wine-glass.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Woman drinking white wine on patio og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You Might Be Holding Your Wine Glass the Wrong Way twitter:description: Avoid these three common wine glass grips twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7394d7119e6d9c10/69889fcf0b72e323056ea694/how-to-hold-wine-glass.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You Might Be Holding Your Wine Glass the Wrong Way by [Anthony Giglio / Food and Wine](/author/food-wine/) ## Anthony Giglio / Food and Wine Jul 27, 2016 8:00 PM CUT  Hero Images—Getty Images by [Anthony Giglio / Food and Wine](/author/food-wine/) ## Anthony Giglio / Food and Wine Jul 27, 2016 8:00 PM CUT The Wine Wise Guy reveals three common wine-glass grips—and why to avoid them! People! Here’s the deal with stemware: There’s a rod of glass between the base and the bowl of a wine glass for several reasons, and the absolute most important of those is to keep your 98.6-degree hand away from your properly chilled wine. And yet, over and over again, I see people hold their glasses in one of three bizarre ways, all of which I believe they’ve learned from bad TV. Here they are, so that in the future you can avoid utilizing them. **_Read more:_** [_How the Experts Wash a Wine Glass_](http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/how-experts-wash-wine-glass?xid=PS%5Ftime "undefined") THE “HOUSEWIVES OF” HOLD: After over-pouring your over-oaked Merlot into your oversized etched-crystal goblet, wrap your hand around the bowl, just above the stem, and fan your fingers out in such a way that your 3-carat diamond ring mesmerizes friends and frenemies alike. Sweep your hand back and forth expansively, while giving those friends/frenemies a tour of your new 8,000-square-foot McMansion—the one you just bought yourself after catching your idiot ex-husband cheating with your backstabbing-slut ex-babysitter. Now take a sip of your wine. Warm, isn’t it? But at least everyone is impressed by your diamonds. **_Read more:_**[_Summer Wine Steals from Firstleaf_](http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/summer-wine-steals-firstleaf?xid=PS%5Ftime "undefined") THE “HAIL MARY PASS” HOLD: Otherwise known as the bro-hold. You’re trying to impress the wine-obsessed girl you’re out with, but, dude, you would so rather be hoisting a beer to your lips. Still, in an effort to look both sophisticated and faux-interested in “this, like, amazing Chardonnay” she’s yammering about, you grab your glass like it’s a football you’re about to fling across the length of the restaurant, fingers wrapped around the bowl like it’s pigskin. You are Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers heaving a 61-yard, record-breaking, game-winning touchdown, to Detroit’s utter devastation. Rodgers…he’s in trouble…he fires…in the end zone! It’s caught! For the win! Now take a sip of your wine. Warm, right? Bonehead. **_Read more:_**[_Don’t Order These Wines In a Restaurant!_](http://www.foodandwine.com/wine/dont-order-these-wines-restaurant?xid=PS%5Ftime "undefined") THE “MASTERPIECE THEATER” HOLD: Quiet! Quiet—it’s starting! As the trumpets sound their fanfare you are Alistair Cooke, standing on your bearskin rug in front of your walk-in fireplace, protected from the sparks and ashes by your crushed velvet smoking jacket. Your butler proffers a glass of weak-looking Claret. You seize the glass, turning your palm skyward, intercepting the stem between your ring and middle fingers, and cup the bowl delicately-yet-firmly from beneath. You swirl the tea-colored wine slowly, importantly, before lifting it to your nostrils. You close your eyes and inhale deeply, filled with self-satisfaction. You swirl again. You take a sip. Ah…hm. What’s this? Warm wine? “Perhaps you might want to hold the glass by the stem, sir,” your butler murmurs. “It does also prevent oily fingerprints.” _This_ [_article_](http://www.foodandwine.com/wine/are-you-holding-your-wine-glass-wrong-way?xid=PS%5Ftime "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Food & Wine_](http://www.foodandwine.com/?xid=PS%5Ftime "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4426848/holding-wine-glass/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4426848/holding-wine-glass/"},"headline":"You Might Be Holding Your Wine Glass the Wrong Way","datePublished":"2016-07-27T20:00:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:34:51.494Z","description":"Avoid these three common wine glass grips","url":"https://time.com/4426848/holding-wine-glass/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Food & Drink"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7394d7119e6d9c10/69889fcf0b72e323056ea694/how-to-hold-wine-glass.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Anthony Giglio / Food and Wine"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7394d7119e6d9c10/69889fcf0b72e323056ea694/how-to-hold-wine-glass.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Woman drinking white wine on patio","caption":"Woman drinking white wine on patio","creditText":"Hero Images—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4426848/holding-wine-glass/","name":"You Might Be Holding Your Wine Glass the Wrong Way"}}]}] ```