On Pouring Wine: How Full Should a Glass of Wine Be?

When pouring a glass of wine how much do you pour? How full do you expect the glass to be when buying a glass of wine a in a restaurant or wine bar?

I have asked various sommelier friends about this. In the US, the measure poured for a glass of wine is not regulated. Hence, restaurants and bars are pretty free to take it upon themselves to decide what constitutes a single wine glass serving.

While some bars and restaurants do indicate the serving sizes on the drinks menu, many do not. In my experience (in New York), 4 to 5 ounces seems to be a fairly standard pour. That's about 5 to 6 glasses per bottle.

While most of us like to get our money’s worth, we also like to have enough room to swirl and sniff the wine without splashing it all over the place, which can happen easily if the glass is too full.

Personally, I like a larger glass, with less wine in it, so that the wine can aerate more easily and release its aromas. Alternatively, I appreciate when my glass of wine comes in a small carafe, allowing me to pour as little or as much as I like. The benefits to this are twofold. Firstly the wine always seems to last longer, as I tend to sip more slowly, taking more time to swirl and appreciate the wine. Secondly, making several pours of the carafe makes me feel like I have had more wine for my money.

Why is any of this important? Apart from the aesthetics and practicality, there is also the alcohol issue. Because wine glass serving sizes are not officially regulated, and service training differs greatly between establishments, you could end up with almost a third of a bottle in a glass. While it might seem like great value for money, you end up consuming far more alcohol than you expected.

Would love to hear your views on pouring wine!

Mary Gorman-McAdams, DWS, is a New York based wine educator, freelance writer and consultant. She holds the Diploma in Wine & Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), and is a candidate in the Master of Wine Program.

Related: Tip: Estimating Wine Per Guest

(Images: Mary Gorman)

Comments (21)

At my restaurant we teach servers to pour to the "bell" of the glass-- that is, the point where the red wine glass swells out the most.
With our white wine glasses, you pour to the same height, or about an inch below the top of the glass.

Because our white wine glasses are smaller shorter than our reds, this comes out to the same amount- 5 ounces.

Nice and easy.

I don't drink at restaurants so the serving point is moot, but personally I like small servings. Wine glasses are top heavy enough as it is, and the more wine you have, the more risk you run that someone will knock it over. Ruined a Settler's of Catan board game that way once - every little carboard piece was sopped red with wine.

Kaete, I'm so sad to hear a set of Settlers of Catan game was ruined. My favorite board game that occupied many late nights with friends when I was still in college.

I also thought "to the bell" was the standard for red wines -- although I guess it could depend on the glass shape. I guess because this is my assumption, I only get annoyed in a restaurant if they pour less than this, regardless of how large the glass is. If they pour more, well, I sip carefully and count myself lucky :)

A very good reason to only order a bottle (or half bottle) when you feel like drinking wine while dining out. ;)

I was always taught, working in restaurants, to pour the wine to just below where the curve of the glass begins to go back inwards.

not sure why it did that, but I meant to add that is for red wine, so I am in agreement with bfrischer :-)

I work at a formal restaurant that uses carafes to bring all wine to the table. When poured into the glass it is about 1 finger's width above the bevel for red glasses and 2 fingers for whites (I'm a girl so not too big). We get 4 glasses per bottle and do 6oz pours. Keeping it in the carafe for reds gives people plenty of space to swirl.

I'm a big fan of much much larger glasses. Frankly, when we don't have guests over, we just pour into a water glass - means we have to get up and interrupt the movie less.

I also prefer larger glasses and fill to the point where the glass starts to bow back in (I guess thats the bell?). But we also have some short little glasses that almost look like juice glasses and those get filled almost to the brim. Depends on the glass, and the wine being poured.

At home, I'll pour to about 1/3 to 1/2 of the glass. In many restaurants around here, there is a line etched into the wineglass so you get the prescribed quantity.

I love the Catan references - though of course am sad to hear a game was ruined...

in any event - at home we tend to pour very small glasses (getting 6 or more glasses out of a bottle), but at restaurants i'm ok with bigger glasses so as not to get ripped off.

the mini-carafes are great, i think for the reasons mentioned. but of course, the best value going out is to just get a bottle, and then cork&go if your state allows it. (and if GA does, then i assume most do by now)

I don't care how full the glass is... just make sure it's a 5-6 oz serving.

When I was bartending I would pour to about a hair above the largest part of the glass – the "hips" I called it. Came to 5 oz. every time.

When i'm at home, though, I fill that sucker to the brim. Ha!

I think true wine lovers (vinophiles?) would stick with the traditional 5 to 6 ounces.
Others might choose the Amy Winehouse Method: if it spills when you pick up the glass, then take big gulps to stop the spillage. Having more than one glass going seems to help her.

Wait, you can get a single glass of wine in a carafe? I have never seen that before. Why would a restaurant ever want to do that? They'd have to clean more stuff/have more glassware. And on top of that, from what you're saying, it seems like they would end up selling less wine this way.

@JohnCanon: I thought the Amy Winehouse method was to chug straight from the bottle.

I moved to Germany where I've come to really appreciate the .2ml and .1ml marks on the glasses in restaurants. I can regulate my own drinking, know what I'm paying for and makes sense for the restaurants too!

In the UK we have regulated measures which are usually 125ml, 175ml or 225ml, something like that anyway. Pubs and restaurants offer one or more options from these, unless you buy a bottle. I love places that serve wine in large glasses - much more luxurious than the traditional smaller ones. At home we use small glasses unless I can be bothered to wash the big ones (but I do much prefer using them even then), and I pour about up to the largest point of the glass as that feels about right.