Measure and Quantity
Pouring & Amounts
How much goes into the glass isn't purely a matter of taste. Overfilled glasses can't be swirled, and too little sparkling wine foams straight over the table. In the restaurant trade, the law even weighs in on exactly how full a glass must be.
The Right Amount per Glass
For still wine, the standard guideline is a pour of about one hundred to one hundred fifty milliliters, roughly a third of a normal wine glass. This modest fill leaves enough air in the bowl to swirl the wine, so it doesn't slosh over the rim the moment the glass is gently swirled.
A standard 0.75-liter bottle works out to five or six glasses at this measure, depending on how generously it's poured. Anyone planning for a larger group is better off budgeting five glasses per bottle rather than six, so no one ends up with a nearly empty glass at the end.
Sparkling Wine in Two Steps
Sparkling wine foams up most strongly on first contact with the glass, which is why it's best poured in two steps. A short first splash lets the foam rise and settle back down. A second, calmer pour then fills the glass to the desired amount, without half of it being lost as foam.
The glass is held slightly tilted while pouring, similar to pouring beer, so the carbonation is disturbed less. Pouring straight down loses noticeably more carbonation, and with it aroma. The bubbles escape much faster on impact with the bottom of the glass than when the wine runs gently down the side.
The Calibration Mark in Restaurants
In German establishments, glasses for wine served by the glass are bound by a fixed rule anchored in weights and measures law. A visible fill line, often called the calibration mark, indicates exactly the amount sold as 'one glass.' This mark protects guests from getting sometimes more, sometimes less for the same order.
Exceptions apply to mixed drinks with more than two ingredients, as well as to hot drinks whose fill volume changes as they cool. So if you order a glass of wine at a restaurant, it's perfectly fair to glance at the fill line and ask if the glass falls noticeably short.
Who Serves Whom
Traditionally, wine is poured from the guest's right, with the label turned toward them so they can see what they're drinking. At your own table at home, this order matters less strictly, but the principle still holds: whoever pours should be served last, not first.
When opening a new bottle, the host traditionally pours themselves a small taste first, tries it briefly, and only then pours for the guests. This isn't favoritism, but a leftover custom from times when it demonstrated that the wine hadn't spoiled before others drank it.
Refilling Without Being Pushy
An empty glass doesn't automatically mean it needs refilling right away. Some guests deliberately drink slower or pause with water in between, without expecting a full glass. A quick glance or a brief question is usually enough to tell who actually wants a refill. Ignoring this can quickly come across as pushy, even with the best intentions.
A simple rule of thumb helps when topping up your own glass at home. Only once a glass is down to about a third full is it worth refilling. That way, wine doesn't need constant small top-ups, and it's easier to keep track of how much has been drunk overall.
When several bottles are open at the same time
On an evening with several courses, two or three open bottles often sit on the table at once, say a white wine for the starter and a red wine for the main course. To avoid mix-ups, it helps to assign each bottle its own glass per person, rather than refilling a single glass with different wines throughout the evening.
Anyone with only a few glasses on hand can give a glass a quick rinse with a little water between two very different wines, rather than reusing it unrinsed. Otherwise, residue from the previous wine noticeably taints the first sip of the next one, especially when moving from a bold red wine to a delicate white.