Читать книгу Wine Faults and Flaws - Keith Grainger - Страница 64
2.5.5.2 Legs
ОглавлениеOne of the most misunderstood visual aspects of wine tasting is the presence or otherwise of legs, often referred to as tears. The wine should be swirled in the glass, held to eye‐level and, after waiting for several seconds, viewed horizontally and observed as to how the swirled wine runs back down the glass. If the liquid congeals into little tears, arches, or rivers running down the glass, these are called legs. The legs may be broad or narrow (thin), short or long, and run slowly or more quickly down the glass. Wines that contain a high degree of alcohol will normally show broad legs, formed by the difference in surface tension between water and alcohol and the differential evaporation of alcohol, influenced by sugar and glycol. Several authors and critics claim that legs are purely a sign of high‐alcohol, glycerol or very high residual sugar. This is refuted by examples of their presence in high‐quality wines which are relatively light in alcohol, for example, fine Riesling Kabinetts from the Mosel region in Germany. The amount of dry extract also contributes to legs. Further, the amount and type of legs, if any, can be very dependent on the condition, and particularly the washing and drying of the tasting glass.