Have you ever seen someone swirl their wine and watched as the liquid dripped down the inside of the glass? Perhaps you’ve done this a time or two yourself. The purpose of this is to examine the qualities of the drips that form as the wine settles.

These translucent streaks, known as wine "legs" or "tears", have long been considered a marker of wine quality. The belief used to be that higher-quality wines had more legs. As it turns out, the quality of wine legs can tell you more about the wine than the number of them. 

The Science Behind Wine Legs

Wine legs are an example of the Gibbs-Marangoni effect on wine. According to this effect, liquids with different surface tensions — in this case, water and alcohol — flow away from one another. When you swirl your wine, a thin film coats the interior of the glass which exposes more of the wine's surface area to air. 

Gravity tries to pull the liquid film down the glass. However, air exposure causes the alcohol in the wine to evaporate, which increases the concentration of water and thus increases the surface tension. The less alcoholic liquid pushes up and away from the rest of the wine settled in the bottom of the glass. Eventually, it turns into heavy droplets that run down the side, forming the streaks known as legs or tears. 

How To Create and Assess Wine Legs

It is pretty easy to create and observe wine legs at home. Here is what you need to do:

• Start by pouring yourself a glass of wine.
• Swirl the glass gently or tilt it slightly to the side so the liquid coats the inside of the glass.
• Return the glass upright and hold it still to allow the wine to settle back to the bottom.
• Watch the translucent film of wine along the side of the glass. Look for things such as the number, or density, of legs and the speed at which they flow. 

Wine Legs and Quality: Is There Actually a Link?

Contrary to popular belief, wine legs are not an indicator of quality. However, they can be telling about a wine’s structural characteristics. For instance, they can indicate things such as:

• Alcohol strength: The most obvious indication for wine legs is the presence of alcohol in your glass. Generally, wines with a higher alcohol content collect more droplets, which produce more legs.
• Sweetness: Sweet wines are more viscous than drier varieties, meaning they are a bit thicker and stickier due to their sugar content. As a result, the legs flow more slowly down the side of a glass.

It’s important to note that a few external factors can affect the formation of wine legs. For instance, the temperature and humidity of the environment in which you’re drinking wine can play a role. The legs of your favorite wine may look different indoors versus outdoors. Likewise, their appearance may change with the seasons. Higher temperatures tend to promote more legs due to faster evaporation rates. On the other hand, higher humidity can slow the evaporation of the alcohol in a wine. 

The shape of your wine glass can also impact the formation of wine legs. A wider mouth allows more air exposure whereas a narrower one permits less, resulting in faster and slower evaporation, respectively. In fact, if you swirl a closed bottle of wine, legs will not form along the inside because evaporation does not occur in a sealed unit.

Practical Tips for Assessing Wine Quality 

So, how can you determine if a wine is high-quality if not by looking at its legs? The following tips can help you analyze wine like an expert.

Learn a Bit About the Wine

High-quality wines start with high-quality grapes. A region’s climate and weather influence how quickly the grapes grow, their flavors, and many characteristics of the wines produced with them. Other factors that can play a role in grape quality include temperature, sunlight exposure, and the vineyard’s growing practices. Winemaking processes also have a direct impact on a wine’s overall quality. Some countries, like Italy, have established strict production methods and quality standards for their wines.

In many instances, you can tell a lot about a wine by reading its label. Along with the brand name and type of wine contained inside, you can find out details such as:

• The vintage
• The region the wine comes from
• The wine classification
• Alcohol content

Pay Attention to Color

Generally, lighter shades indicate younger wines from more recent vintages. On the other hand, darker hues can let you know that the wine is older. While some wines get better with age, this isn’t always the case. Factors like tannins, sugar, alcohol, and acidity all affect how long wines can age. Fortified wines like port and sherry can age well over 50 years. On the other hand, varieties like pinot gris and sauvignon blanc may only last a few years in storage. 

Give It a Smell

Swirling a glass of wine not only allows you to examine its legs, it enhances the aromas of the wine which can tell you more about its qualities. Do you smell fruity or floral notes? Or are you getting hints of vinegar or a wet dog smell? Of course, the former is desirable as any “off” odors indicate a bad or corked wine you’re not likely to enjoy. 

Taste the Wine

Finally, it’s time to taste your wine. As you sip, pay attention to the following factors:

• Complexity and depth
• Balance
• Finish

In general, lower-quality wines tend to be one-dimensional. You might get one or two notes out of them and the flavors don’t usually stick around for long. High-quality wines are more complex. They typically feature multiple layers that gradually reveal themselves as you see, smell, and taste the wine. The various components within the wine balance one another so that no one element overshadows another. The flavors also linger on your palate after you swallow your sip. 

Shop JJ Buckley Fine Wines for All of Your Wine Needs

Reading wine legs might not tell you anything about a wine’s quality, but it’s still an interesting scientific phenomenon. You’re going to need more than your eyes to assess the objective quality of a wine — you’ll need your senses of smell and taste, too. It also helps if you enjoy the wine you’re drinking. After all, quality does not much if you don’t like what’s in your glass.

JJ Buckley Fine Wines has a broad selection of the highest-quality wines for every occasion. Whether you’re hosting an intimate dinner party or a large family gathering, you’re sure to find varieties to please every palate.