What Are Wine Legs? The Indicators of a Wine's Alcohol and Sugar Content, and Their Effect on Consumption:
a guest post by Bill Marcia
Have you ever heard of the term wine 'legs'? Do
you know what they look like and what they signify? Let’s find out more…
The wine’s legs are the droplets that you see on the walls of the glass
after swirling your drink. They are a demonstration of the Gibbs-Marangoni
Effect, an event that occurs because of the difference in the evaporation rates
of alcohol and water.
Remember that wine is composed of alcohol and water. Alcohol has a faster
evaporation rate than water, and its surface tension is also lower. When
exposed to the air, alcohol will evaporate quickly and leave the water behind.
The water – because it has higher surface tension and a slower evaporation rate
– will accumulate on the glass surface. Gravity will also affect the water
pulling it downwards and causing it to leave a trail and form the legs. Because
this phenomenon involves evaporation, the rate of leg formation will be
affected by the humidity and temperature of the surroundings.
What Do the Legs Tell You About the Wine and
Its Properties?
Despite the common misconception, the legs of the wine do not indicate
its quality. The legs are more related to the level of alcohol in the wine and
its sweetness. The higher the alcohol content of the wine, the more wine legs
it will typically form at a given temperature.
·
Sweeter wines have higher sugar content
so they will produce more viscous tears.
·
Examining the legs of wine in different
seasons will also produce varied findings due to variations in humidity and
temperature.
What Are Wine Legs Called and How Can You
Examine Them?
The French call them "tears." Others refer to them as church
windows, while some describe them as the Gibbs-Marangoni Effect. You can examine
them by observing their formation. To recreate this phenomenon, you can take a
glass of wine and then hold it an angle so that the wine will flow on one side.
Then, put the glass in an upright position and observe its rate of flow
(viscosity) as well as the density of the forming legs. The more legs you see,
the sweeter your wine and the higher its alcohol content. The higher alcohol
content can also be observed by a more significant warming sensation at the
back of your throat when you drink your wine.
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| Photo by Laura Peruchi on Unsplash |
If you want to build your wine tasting and evaluation skills, you can
compare the wine legs of different types of wine. Also, you can cross-reference
your findings with the labels of the wines. Note that for the tears or legs to
form, the alcohol should be allowed to evaporate. In its absence, there will be
no tears observed. Shake a closed wine bottle, and you will see that no legs
will form because there's no evaporation occurring.
Guest Blogger Bio
Bill Marcia has been involved with wine making since 2007
and loves to share his knowledge with others.
Guest Links
Website:
https://www.stagsleap.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stagsleapwines
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stagsleapwinery
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/stagsleapwinery/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/StagsLeapWinery
Thanks again, Bill! We hope to see you back on MLB sometime.
As always, happy reading, everyone! Have a great rest of your week! :)
