Have you ever come across people staring at a glass of wine, murmuring about its nice legs or its delegate tears?
Relax, they are talking about the wine! and no, there are no actual legs nor tears of a broken-heart!
Sometimes the “tears” or “legs” are the traces left by the drops of wine that slowly glide down the interior surface of the glass, after the swirl.
What do legs reflect on wine?
Scientifically, its alcoholic content: the higher the alcohol of the wine, the more tears it shows.
Romantically, while highly doubted in the wine world, legs or tears are sometimes perceived as the body of the wine.
There will be occasions where you will hear comments such as: “Look at this phenomenal wine’s legs. Truly a high-quality wine!”
Truth is that legs/tears causes are somewhat complicated and relate to the chemical structure of wine and its alcohol and on how these drops evaporate in the glass. Its quality is highly doubted to be related to that.
When it comes to dessert wines, these legs are formed due to the thickness of the wine caused by the high levels of natural sugar it contains.
So, while legs are mesmerizing to observe, don’t worry about reading or understanding them. Enjoy the wine’s appearance, the velvety texture, take in the beautiful colour, and the way it catches the light.
In a (wine) world, full of myths, half-truths and occasional snobbish stereotypes, choose to rely on your senses! Your eyes, nose and tongue are your best friends and the most significant tools that will assist you in real enjoyment.
So, since wine is a wonderful thing, take a good, long sip, and don’t let anybody or anything cloud your judgement!
See you next week!
Cheers, Santé and Yiamas..
Until then.. Strike for a glass half full !
Nicole x
