Wine Tears: What They Mean and How to Interpret Them During a Tasting

In the world of wine, every detail matters. The wine legs, those fine drops that slowly descend the sides of the glass after the wine is swirled, offer fascinating clues about its character. In Crusoe Treasure, where wines mature in a unique environment beneath the sea, these legs take on even greater significance.

The wine legs, also known as tears or church windows, are small drops that form inside the glass after the wine is swirled. They slide slowly due to the interaction between the alcohol, water and components of the wine and the glass surface.

Far from being merely an aesthetic phenomenon, the legs offer information about:

• The wine’s alcohol content

• Its density or viscosity

• The type of maturation or ageing

• Even its concentration and structure

What do wine legs indicate?

1. Rate of descent

   • If they descend slowly, the wine generally has a higher alcohol content or glycerine level, which is associated with more structured wines.

   • If they descend quickly, the wine is lighter, fresher and less dense.

2. Thickness and shape

   • Thick, pronounced legs indicate a higher alcohol content or residual sugar level.

   • Fine, sparse legs reflect a younger, lighter wine.

3. Regularity

• • Regularity and persistence may be related to good maturation and balance in the wine.

 

The special case of underwater wine

The wines of Crusoe Treasure, aged beneath the sea, display a different profile when it comes to their legs. Pressure and marine conditions influence their evolution, creating a rounder, more complex structure. The legs in these wines may appear denser, reflecting their singular maturation in the silence of the seabed.

How to observe them correctly

• Use a clean glass with no residue.

• Fill it one-third full.

• Gently swirl the wine and observe the drops that form on the glass.

• Do this under good lighting, preferably against a white background.

Wine legs are neither a myth nor a simple visual effect. They are a sensory clue that, together with the colour, aroma and flavour, helps us better understand what is in the glass.

In Crusoe Treasure, where the wine tells a unique story of maturation beneath the sea, these legs speak more eloquently than ever.