At a wine tasting this weekend, the guy I went with told me my wine had “great legs.” To be honest, I thought he was trying to compliment me but hadn’t been able to get the right words out. My expression must have given away my thoughts because he went on to explain that the phrase simply implies a wine is of good quality. “Legs” or “tears”, as the French call them appear on the sides of the wine glass when the wine is swirled. I had never heard anyone describe wine using this phrase before so of course, I researched it when I got home later that night.

Come to find out, the implication behind the phrase is a myth. No one is positive on the origin of the phrase but it has to do with a phenomenon called the Gibbs-Marangoni effect. The “legs” or rivulets as they are more officially named have more to do with physics than quality. Wine has two core components: water and alcohol. Since the alcohol evaporates faster than water, it inches up the sides of the glass but when gravity breaks the water’s surface tension, the water runs back down the side of the glass, forming “legs.” This process most commonly occurs with wines above 12% alcohol but high content does not always promise fullness or texture. If you are not convinced, pour yourself a glass of wine and cover the top of a glass with a card ensuring no evaporation, and the “legs” will not form. Take the card away and the “legs” will begin to form.

This is a fun phrase to throw out in wine conversation but wine quality should not be evaluated solely on its “great legs.”