How to Drink Wine Properly: Steps, Tools, and Tips from Real Tastings

When you how to drink wine properly, it’s not about fancy terms or pretentious sipping—it’s about noticing what’s actually in your glass and enjoying it without overthinking. Also known as wine tasting, it’s a simple practice anyone can do at home, whether you’re sipping a $10 bottle or opening something special. You don’t need a sommelier degree. You just need to slow down, pay attention, and trust your own senses.

The core of drinking wine properly comes down to three actions: Swirl, Releasing the aromas by gently spinning the glass, Smell, Taking a deep breath to catch fruit, earth, spice, or oak notes, and Sip, Letting the wine coat your tongue so you feel its weight, acidity, and finish. These aren’t rituals—they’re shortcuts to tasting more. Skip any of them, and you’re missing up to 80% of what the wine has to offer. Most people skip the swirl and go straight to gulping, which is like reading a book by only looking at the cover.

What you drink before wine matters too. Water, The only beverage that cleanses your palate without interfering is the only thing you should have right before tasting. Coffee, tea, soda, or even mint gum can mess up your ability to taste fruit or tannins. And if you’re doing a tasting session, you’ll need the right number of wine tasting glasses, Typically 2 to 5 small glasses per person, so you can compare without mixing flavors. Too many? You’ll get overwhelmed. Too few? You’ll mix flavors and lose clarity.

Pairing wine with food isn’t magic—it’s science. Wine and cheese pairing, A classic combo because salt cuts acidity and fat softens tannins works because of how flavors interact. A sharp cheddar with a bold red? That’s not tradition—it’s balance. Same with salty olives and a crisp white. You don’t need to memorize charts. Just taste. If it feels better together than apart, you’ve got it right.

And yes, there’s a right way to hold your glass. Grab it by the stem, not the bowl. Your hand warms the wine, and if you’re drinking a chilled white or sparkling, that heat changes the flavor fast. It’s a small thing, but it makes a difference when you’re trying to catch subtle notes.

There’s no single "correct" way to enjoy wine—but there are ways that help you taste more, enjoy more, and waste less. The posts below give you real, no-fluff advice from people who’ve done this hundreds of times: what to do before a tasting, how many glasses to pour, why some wines taste different on different days, and what to drink if you want to skip wine entirely. No jargon. No pressure. Just clear, practical steps that turn a glass of wine into an experience.