Over the last few years, my fiancé and I have been learning a lot about wine, going through to wine estates and learning the art of wine-making. This has only enticed my need to one day buy shares in a wine farm and spend my days walking up and down the vineyards, sipping wine and having cute, scenic picnics with a romantic sunset that makes your heart melt. Until then, I will share all my experiences so you too can enjoy becoming a fellow vino.

So this blog is dedicated to spreading more wine etiquette. These are things that I learned from staring at wine drinkers, reading random blogs and just finding what best works for me.

1. Filling your glass to the brim

The first fact you should know about wine is that it’s a delicate drink that was even documented in the bible. That has to tell you that it’s a precious drink. So treat it as you would a diamond. It’s not beer. The general rule is that you full the wine til the widest part of the glass.

2. Label buying

This is common mistake that I used to make before I called myself a ‘Wine Snob‘. So I would look for the most “vintage” looking wine and automatically it meant that the wine was amazing. Boy, was I completely wrong! If you find yourself in a situation where you are not familiar with any of the wines, go with your favourites first. In this situation, I would head straight to cabernet sauvignon because I love that wine. Then, in that section, I would pick a random bottle up and read on the flavours. If it sounds appealing, that’s your baby… take it and run!

3. Non stem drinking

In case you didn’t know, wine is served at ideal temperatures so when you hold the glass at stem, you are ensuring that your body temperature does not warm the glass up.

Then, retailers changed the game by introducing stem-less wine glasses (which I bought, I might add). So the rule changes there a little. Try put as little fingers on the glass but still looking stylish drinking your vino.

4. Not breaking rules

I previously wrote a post on wine pairing, where I talked about pairing certain wine with foods. But, I wont lie; I break the rules here and there. Sometimes with my salmon or kingklip, I love some red wine. Which according to a blog I read, that’s not a huge problem. So, I don’t feel bad, plus it tasted amazing!

5. Rush drinking

This last one differentiates the alcoholics from the vino’s. Drinking wine is not a race unless you are in some competition. But, if you’re in a competition with yourself, there might be a problem. Wine is meant to be appreciated! Taste it. Swirl it around your mouth a little. Smell it. It’s all an experience waiting to happen.

When it comes to the game of wine, there isn’t a giant book that you can learn from. My tip is to start by copying people around you, hahaha. Or better yet, here’s another tip: It’s your palette, it’s your experience. Do whatever you want, just know that wine drinking is a taste bud adventure and I urge you to explore it all.