Proprietor’s Blog 1/19 Wine Serving: Proper Pours, Temperature and Enjoyment

Hey All,

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 continue providing you valuable information for wine consumers and purchasers. My blog posts are supposed to be informative about AJA but also wine in general. As a sommelier, I feel it’s my duty to help people know the in’s and out’s 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! And we’ve got a few more tips to help you along the way.

This brings me to our topic of discussion:

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 that you stay to the standard pours.

Every restaurant will go by their own decision of pour, but it’s pretty standard to pour between 4 and 6oz per glass. This is the standard pour for a dry or off-dry wine commonly enjoyed with food. In my experience, the steakhouse restaurants have heavier pours 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 have smaller pours such as 3 oz. Generally speaking, sparkling wine and dessert wines have higher sugar content than other wines, making it more appealing in smaller doses. 

When you request wine service at a restaurant and purchase a bottle of wine, generally if the wine is shared between up to 6 people, the server or sommelier will pour 4oz pours. This is a different situation. The goal of the sommelier when serving a bottle of wine is to evenly distribute the wine available. So when there are ten people hoping to have a glass of the wine from the bottle, expect a 2-2.5oz pour…and order another bottle!

And lastly, always remember to keep your wines at correct temperatures when pouring and storing!

Store between 37 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve light white, sparkling and rose 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 trips help you for the next time you serve and enjoy wine!

Cheers,

Amanda