Church window

A wine may briefly show 'tears' on the inside when swirled in the glass. As the tears run down, shapes often form that sometimes resemble 'windows with peaks'.

In English wine speech, these 'tears' or 'stained glass' are called 'Legs'. Many connoisseurs observe this beautiful phenomenon very carefully. They pay attention to the distance between the tears, the density, as well as the pace of the buildup/degradation of the tears during panning.

From this they read details of the wine, concerning its relative viscosity and alcohol content.

A relatively higher viscosity is often regarded as a supplementary (positive) indication in the qualification of the 'body'. The value of the conclusions drawn from optical analyses of the 'stained glass' is, of course, controversial. However, some connoisseurs may very well draw important (and correct) conclusions from a careful analysis of this kind. It should also be noted that both temperature differences and any soap residues in the glass influence the formation of the stained glass.