What do the legs or tears in wine indicate?

• A. Legs indicate age
• B. Legs indicate color
• C. Legs indicate body and alcohol content
• D. Legs indicate sugar content only

Answer: (C)

Legs reflect the wine’s viscosity and how its surface tension changes as the alcohol evaporates. When you swirl, the alcohol in the film of wine evaporates more quickly than the water, altering surface tension and causing the liquid to form droplets that run down the inside of the glass—the legs. The extent and persistence of these legs are influenced by how thick the wine is (its body) and how much alcohol it contains, with higher alcohol and greater viscosity (often from glycerol and overall composition) producing more pronounced legs. So, the presence and character of the legs primarily indicate the wine’s body and alcohol content, rather than its age, color, or sugar content alone.