Legs for Days

Many people judge the quality of wine based on it's "legs" or "tears." For those of you who are unaware of what wine legs are, they are streaks of liquid that form after you swirl wine in a wine glass.

It has been said that when the streaks are more distinct, the quality of the wine is better. This however is a myth. The streaks come from a number of combinations - alcohol content, water, and surface tension. To get the the bottom of it, wine legs stem from physics. Next time you swirl your glass around, look closely and you will see two sets of legs, one running up and one running down. The streak running up has to do with the amount of alcohol the wine has. The streak running down has to do with water evaporation. The alcohol runs up because alcohol evaporates faster than water. Who knew there was so much physics and chemistry in wine!

Legs form when you try this with a $60 bottle of wine as well as with a $10 bottle of wine, so the whole "quality" thing is a myth. So next time your friends say "Wow look at those legs that must be great wine," be sure to correct them!