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I always see so much debate about the "proper" way to hold a wine glass. Is it really that important, or is it just etiquette snobbery? I understand holding the bowl warms the wine, which you generally want to avoid with whites and some reds, but does it really make a huge difference in a casual setting? I usually see people holding the stem, or sometimes the base, but I'm curious if anyone has actually done a side-by-side comparison of how the temperature changes when holding the bowl vs. the stem over, say, a 30-minute period.
Beyond temperature,is there a visual element to it? Does one grip just look more elegant than others? I've definitely felt awkward at fancy restaurants wondering if I'm inadvertently committing some kind of faux pas. What are your thoughts? Is there a "correct" way, or just more and less practical ways depending on the situation and the wine? Also, does the shape of the glass influence your grip at all? I find some glasses are just more pleasant to hold in certain ways.