So you’ve overheard the phrase “oohh great legs”. 

Hold up. Wasn’t this about wine, not catcalling?

You’re right, but these ‘legs’ are not what they seem… and they’re most certainly not the type you’d find on stage performing the can-can at the Moulin Rouge. 

We’re talking about the streams of wine that form down the side of your glass after you’ve given it a swirl or taken a sip. 

Our inhouse wine expert, Omrah Winemaker Chris Murtha says rather than eyeing off the shape of the ‘legs’, it’s all about how these legs fall in the wine glass. 

“I get this all the time. People are very focused on legs,” Chris says. 

“In a wine that’s high in alcohol, you’ll tend to see legs creeping up the glass.”

The length, width and how quickly the legs form is all dependent on alcohol content (the higher the alcohol the thicker the legs) and the speed at which it evaporates. 

But does it actually really matter at all? 

“It’s a bit of an old school concept. To be honest, it’s not the most important thing you have to be looking at in the wine,” Chris says. 

“And it’s certainly not an indication that the wine’s good.”

So next time you hear someone spout out the saying, best to inform them you shouldn’t judge a bottle based on a good set of pins.