What Is a Standard Wine Pour?

Let’s talk about the standard wine pour. How much wine should you pour per glass, per person on any occasion? When ordering a glass of wine at a restaurant, how much wine should you expect to be served? It's worth learning about the standard wine pour to ensure you never over-pour or under-pour wine for your guests.

How Many Ounces In A Glass Of Wine?

Do you know how many ounces are in a bottle of wine? How many glasses of wine are in a bottle? Let’s start by saying wine bottles come in many shapes and sizes.

Even though wine bottle sizes vary, there is a standard size. A standard bottle of wine contains 750 milliliters or 25.4 ounces—so how much should you pour? Five ounces is a standard wine pour, no matter if the wine is red or white, mildly alcoholic or boozy. Here’s all about it.

Wine Glasses Come In Many Shapes & Sizes

Wine glasses come in many different shapes and sizes, so what is a standard pour of wine? Professional wine glasses, like those used in wine tastings, are relatively large because the size of the bowl enhances the wine’s aroma.

However, no matter how much wine you pour into these tall pieces, the glass often looks half empty, and that’s okay. No matter the glass size, you should always pour the same amount of wine! Five ounces, for a total of roughly five glasses per bottle.

In fact, if you’re entertaining and have a bottle of wine in hand, you can even serve shorter pours and refill your and your guests’ glasses often. Don’t try to fill the wine glasses, as it will be both inefficient and messy.

Why Should You Stick to the Standard Wine Pour?

A standard pour allows you to serve wine equally amongst your friends and family. It is also the right amount to allow the wine to breathe—filling a wine glass to the rim doesn’t leave room for aerating, and that’s important when wine tasting. People will want to swirl their wine, and they should be able to!

Besides, over-pouring wine will cause it to warm up too much, losing some of its aromatic complexity and causing the alcohol to evaporate. A standard pour ensures your guests enjoy their wine at their own pace.

How Many Pours Are in a Bottle of Wine?

The question is, how many oz in a bottle of wine? How many glasses of wine are in a bottle? You’ll get five 5-oz pours from every standard bottle if you serve standard pours.

Of course, if you order a wine glass at a restaurant, you might get between 4-5 ounces per glass, as every establishment has its standards. You can also have your own standards and pour as much wine as you want as long as you’re close to the recommended standard pour. 2–3-ounce pours, for example, are perfect for an organized wine-tasting session.

Wine Pouring Tips

Enjoy your wine any way you want, but elevate your wine experience by enhancing its aroma and taste with these standard wine-pouring tips:

• Ensure the wine is at the right temperature before serving.
• Make sure everyone has the same type of wine glass when sharing the same wine.
• Use different wine glasses for distinct wine styles.
• Keep sparkling wine, white wine, and rosé in an ice bucket within reach.
• Decant red wine if too cold. Transferring it from the bottle to a decanter or any vessel will elevate its temperature a few degrees.
• Pour shorter pours for sweet and semi-sweet wine styles.
• Pour with confidence and a steady hand. Practice makes perfect!