
When wine coats the glass, it's called priming or seasoning the glass. This technique is used to deal with any unwanted smells the glass may have picked up. It also fills the glass with the aroma of the wine.
The act of coating the glass with wine is also a way to observe the legs or tears of the wine. These are the streaks that trickle down the side of the glass after the wine is swirled or after a sip is taken. The prominence of legs generally indicates a higher alcohol content and a richer texture. However, it is a myth that the number of legs indicates the quality of the wine.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
What is it called when wine coats the glass? | Priming or seasoning |
What causes wine to coat the glass? | Fluid surface tension due to the slow evaporation of alcohol |
What do the streaks that trickle down the side of the glass after it is coated and/or swirled called? | Legs or tears |
What do the legs indicate about the wine? | Alcohol content, texture, and body |
What You'll Learn
Priming or seasoning the glass
Priming or seasoning a wine glass is a technique believed to have originated in Italy. It involves pouring a small amount of wine—approximately one ounce—into a glass and swirling it to coat the bowl before discarding it. While it may seem like a waste of wine, priming serves two main purposes.
Firstly, it ensures that any residual undesirable aromas or flavours are removed from the glass. These could include odours from dishwashing detergent, musty cabinets, cardboard boxes, or wooden cabinets that can affect the wine's taste. By coating the glass with wine and then discarding it, any dust particles or residues are rinsed out, providing a clean vessel for the wine.
Secondly, priming enhances the wine's aroma, even if the glass is perfectly clean and odour-free. The process of swirling and discarding the wine fills the glass with its aroma, ensuring an optimal wine experience from the very first sip.
Although some may consider it a showy or pretentious gesture, priming is a common practice among sommeliers and wine enthusiasts worldwide. It is often used in restaurants to showcase the wine's true characteristics and allow for a better evaluation of its taste.
So, the next time you see a sommelier priming your wine glass, rest assured that it is done to enhance your wine-drinking experience and is not merely a waste of wine.
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Alcohol content
The "legs" of wine are the streaks that trickle down the side of a wine glass after it has been tilted to coat the glass, or after it has been swirled. The formation of wine legs is caused by the evaporation of alcohol affecting the surface area of the liquid. As such, wines with higher alcohol content will generally have more legs. However, this is not a foolproof way to determine the alcohol content of a wine, as temperature can also give wine more legs.
The alcohol content of wine is typically measured in percentages and referred to as "ABV" (alcohol by volume). The average glass of wine contains around 11-13% alcohol, but this can range from as little as 5.5% ABV to around 20% ABV. Wines with an ABV of 13.5-14.5% are considered to be high-alcohol wines, while those under 12.5% ABV are considered very low. Wines with an ABV of 12.5-13.5% are deemed moderately low, and those with 13.5-14.5% are considered medium-high.
Fortified wines, such as Madeira, port, and sherry, have a higher alcohol content due to the addition of distilled spirits like brandy during the winemaking process. Warmer climates can also lead to higher alcohol content in wines, as grapes grown in these regions tend to have higher sugar levels, which increases the potential alcohol content.
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Fluid dynamics
The phenomenon of wine coating a glass is known as "priming" or "seasoning" the glass. It is often done to get rid of any musty smells that may be present in the glass and to fill the glass with the aroma of the wine.
From a fluid dynamics perspective, the coating of the glass by wine is a result of the interplay between surface tension and gravity. When wine is swirled in a glass, it coats the inside of the glass, forming a thin film of liquid. This thin film is then pulled downwards by gravity.
However, the wine is made up of alcohol and water, among other components, and these two liquids have different surface tensions. Alcohol has a higher evaporation point than water, so when the wine is left in the glass, the alcohol around the edge of the liquid evaporates more quickly, leading to a lower alcohol concentration in that region compared to the rest of the glass.
This creates a difference in surface tension that causes the liquid to be pulled up the side of the glass in a ridge, known as a "shock wave". This upward flow is a reverse undercompressive shock that is known to be unstable, and any inconsistencies in the shock wave cause it to break up into droplets that fall back down the glass as "legs" or "tears".
The formation of these legs or tears is described by the Marangoni effect or Gibbs-Marangoni effect, which states that liquids with different surface tensions will always move away from each other. The legs of wine are caused by the slow evaporation of alcohol, which affects the surface area of the liquid. While it was once believed that the number of legs indicated the quality of the wine, this has been proven to be a myth. However, the prominence of legs does indicate a higher alcohol content and, therefore, a richer texture and fuller body.
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Surface tension
The phenomenon of wine coating the glass is known as "priming" or "seasoning" the glass. It is a technique used by wine enthusiasts to enhance the flavour of the wine and get rid of any unwanted smells. The process involves swirling a small amount of wine around the glass to coat its interior, after which the wine is discarded, and the glass is filled again.
The coating of wine on the glass is due to a difference in surface tension across the top of the wine, resulting from the alcohol evaporating faster than the water. This is known as the Marangoni effect or the Gibbs-Marangoni effect. The Marangoni effect is also responsible for the "coffee ring effect".
The Marangoni effect can be observed by spreading a thin film of water on a surface and placing a single drop of alcohol in the centre. The water will flow outward, away from the alcohol due to the difference in surface tension. Wine is primarily a mixture of water and alcohol, along with acids, sugars, and other compounds. When wine is swirled in a glass, it climbs up the sides due to capillary action. As the thin film of wine evaporates, the alcohol concentration decreases, leading to an increase in surface tension, causing more wine to be drawn upward.
The formation of "tears of wine" or "legs" is a result of the Marangoni effect. As the alcohol evaporates, gravity pulls the droplets down, forming long arch-like patterns on the sides of the glass. The shape of the glass and the room temperature can also influence the formation of wine legs.
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Quality of wine
The coating of a wine glass, also known as "priming" or "seasoning", is a technique used to prepare a wine glass by swirling a small amount of wine around the glass and then discarding it. This technique is used to get rid of any unwanted smells and to fill the glass with the aroma of the wine.
The coating of the glass is also related to the concept of "wine legs" or "tears", which are the streaks that trickle down the side of the glass after the wine is swirled or after a sip is taken. Wine legs are caused by the evaporation of alcohol affecting the surface area of the liquid, with wines with higher alcohol content producing more legs. However, it is a common misconception that the number of wine legs is an indicator of the quality of the wine. In reality, there are other factors that are better indicators of wine quality, such as the region the wine comes from, the winemaking techniques used, and the aroma and colour of the wine.
The texture of the wine, or how the wine feels, is another important attribute that defines wine. Words commonly used to describe texture include "heavy", "silky", "sharp", "bright", "gritty", and "smooth". Understanding the texture of wine can help broaden your preferences and find wines that you enjoy. For example, you may not like a certain type of wine because of its texture rather than its flavour. By understanding and paying attention to texture, you can discover wines with similar flavours but different textural attributes that may be more enjoyable for you.
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Frequently asked questions
When wine coats the glass, it's known as "priming" or "seasoning" the glass. This technique is used to get rid of any unwanted smells and to fill the glass with the aroma of the wine.
These are called "legs" or "tears". They are caused by alcohol and indicate a higher alcohol content, resulting in a richer texture and fuller body.
Wine legs can be created by gently tipping the glass to coat the side and then returning it to an upright position. They can also form when pouring a full-bodied wine or spirit into a glass.
No, wine legs do not indicate the quality of the wine. While they may be intriguing to observe, they are simply a result of the evaporation of alcohol and the surface tension between the wine and the glass.