Gifts of Taste : It’s a Swell Swirl

How you fill your wine glass determines how the aroma will be perceived. The best suggestion is to fill larger glasses just to the widest point of the bowl. The glass is meant to be filled with aroma, not wine, so pour sparingly and swirl well.

The main thing you want is a surface area large enough to aerate the wine to release its fruit. Red wines are, therefore, generally poured into larger glasses than white wines because they usually need more aeration.