House Pour Wines - A Lost Trend

Are they any good? That ambiguous drink listed on a restaurant menu that has no indication of what it actually is. With its low price point, many tend to write it off as low quality wine that has been left untouched on the shelf.

But what exactly is a house pour wine?

A Restaurant’s Signature

Just like “soup of the day”, the house pour wine differs depending on the restaurant you go to. Most restaurants have both a red and a white available for your choosing, to cater to their customers’ different preferences.

House pour wines can be sold by the glass, by the carafe, or by the bottle. While it used to be a popular concept, house pour wines have become less trendy as restaurants started coming up with a diverse wine list to cater to all their customers. This took away the distinct point of it being a house pour wine, one that was unique only to that specific restaurant. Nevertheless, if you ever come across one, you should have a go at it as you will not find that blend anywhere else.

Standard Pours

Just like all wines that are served in a restaurant, house pour wines are submitted to the standard pour as well. Though a standard pour may differ slightly depending on the restaurant or server, the rule of thumb is that a standard pour would generally be about 150ml (5 ounces).

This helps standardise the amount of wine that should be served despite the variety of wine glasses that exist. Since the different shapes and sizes make it difficult to tell just how much is being served, the rule of thumb comes in handy in such scenarios.

Standardisation certainly makes the waiter’s job a lot easier!

Do note that a standard pour for wine would differ from that of, say, whiskey for example, since whiskey has a higher ABV and therefore would require a smaller standard pour.

Standard pours not only allow the customer to appreciate the alcohol served in a slow fashion, but also limits them from downing too much wine at once. It allows oxygen to remain in the glass, which helps to further open up the wine and bring out its aroma. This also means that the restaurant would be able to split a standard 750ml bottle of wine into about five glasses, reducing wastage.

Potentially the Best Value Wine

House pour wines can actually be a custom house blend that serves to highlight a restaurant’s identity. Despite being inexpensive — or rather, because they are inexpensive, such wines show just how tasteful a well-made wine can actually be without breaking the bank.

Of course, the quality of the house pour wines you find can often be tied back to how established a restaurant is. Not all restaurants are bound to serve top-shelf wines in those mystery pours of theirs.

The general advice we can give you is to avoid ordering house pour wines in a restaurant you normally would have no business drinking in. If they are not known for their alcohol, chances are, you’re going to be disappointed.

Check Out Some Trendy Wines

Craving for some wine after all this talk? Although we may not have house pours (as mentioned, they are unique to each individual restaurant), we do have a wide selection of trendy wines. Pick out a bottle from our red, white, sparkling, rosė and dessert wines.

If you’re completely new to wines or just spoiled for choice, you can start with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, a popular choice for most red wine drinkers. My personal favourite would be the Mcguigan Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, or Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc for white wine.

For something a little more extravagant, we would recommend the Inniskillin Sparkling Vidal Ice Wine for you and your partner (since we’re limited to 2 pax). 

Share with us your thoughts in the comments below! Order above $99 and receive free online wine delivery in the comfort of your own home. We’re here to help you tide through the last 2 weekends of heightened measures.