DeLoach Vineyard's winemaker on wine tasting and ogling the "legs"

Most wine drinkers are familiar with a wine’s “legs.” These are the droplets, similar to paint dripping down a wall, on the inside of the glass.

The most common interpretation is that these are indicators of a “bigger” more full-bodied wine, with higher alcohol content and viscosity. The majority of wine tasters enjoy the visual rhapsody of swirling the wine and waiting for the “legs” to appear as a harbinger of what’s to come.

But, how much information does it really impart?

Brian Maloney, the winemaker at DeLoach Vineyards in Sonoma, said “legs” are glycerol which is a natural chemical that occurs during fermentation. It is a combination of sugar and alcohol that is sticky and tastes sweets.

However, these forecasters tell a wine sipper just part of the story in the glass.

“These indicators only tell you something about the richness of the wine,” he said. “When a wine has thick ‘legs’ it will taste sweeter and richer on the palate. But, ‘legs’ won’t tell you if the wine will be out of balance, too soft or loaded with a lot of tannins.”

Over the past 10 years, Mahoney said winemakers have been moving away from heavy, thick wines to those with more balance.

“Legs” are just one of the components of the wine experience,” he said. “Smell is a big gauge but the whole point of wine tasting is getting the wine in your mouth to determine if it tastes good.”