Starting basic here, but it really is the first thing you need to know: when tasting wine, you only want to pour a small amount. You should not fill the glass to the brim. Not only does this make it difficult to remember the taste and analyze the wine (I’ll cover spit buckets another day), but it is significantly harder to see and smell the wine if your glass is too full.

In my classes, we were recommended to use 1.5oz pours, and could take more if we needed it. 1.5oz is tiny, but it’s truly all you need. Depending on the size of your glass, you can certainly use the more traditional 5oz pour as well (this is typically what you’ll get in a restaurant), but anything over half the glass becomes unmanageable and unnecessary – you can always go back for more!