5 Amateur Wine Mistakes Everyone Makes

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Overfilling a glass of wine

A wine glass is made to showcase what’s in it-not just the color and the texture, but it should also help you identify the different smells and aromas. If you fill your wineglass up to the top (which often happens in bars and restaurants when you order by the glass), not only will you not be able to air it out by swiveling the glass, but you will also lose all of the aromatic complexity of the wine's bouquet.

The sommelier’s recommendation: fill the glass 1/3 of the way, in other words, to the point where the glass is the widest. This way the wine has the largest surface area to come into contact with air, which releases the aromas.

Bonus point: if you can swivel your wine glass without spilling a drop!