QUESTION: My wife and I were at a tasting room recently, when I heard one of the other customers say, “Nice legs!” After I figured out that the guy wasn’t making a move on my wife, I asked the woman behind the bar what that meant.
She said, “‘legs’ refer to the little droplets of wine that run down the inside of a glass after the wine has been swirled.” I guess my next question is, “What makes those ‘legs’ nice?”
ANSWER: There’s a scientific explanation but, quite frankly, it’s kind of boring. Long story short: Those “legs” are generally an indication of a wine’s alcohol level. The “thicker” and more pronounced the “legs,” the higher the alcohol level. Wines with “poor legs” typically are lower in alcohol.
What can “legs” tell us about the quality of the wine? In reality, nothing. To make that assessment, you’ll just have to take a sip. (Sorry!)
