The Wine Witch is all about taking the hocus pocus out of the enjoyment of wine (I know, I know – a REALLY bad pun). Here are three very prevalent myths that just ain’t so.
Great wines have great legs – First of all what are legs? Legs are little streams running down the inside of the glass after it is swirled. We have all witnessed somebody holding up their glass to the light and declaring the wine has “great legs”. The implication here is that is also a great wine. Not necessarily true. Legs are telling you more about the alcohol content of the wine, but next to nothing about how it will taste. Wines with more alcohol are thicker and stickier and therefore cling to the glass better.
Uncork wine 30 minutes before drinking to improve it – Have you seen the opening on a standard wine bottle? So you think there is much chance of any significant air getting down there to allow the wine to “breathe”? Many wines improve with some air, but you either need to decant it (pour it into a different container) or pour a small amount into a larger glass and swirl it to get anything accomplished.
Reserve wines are better wines – There are a few places in the world that strictly regulate the use of “reserve” on a wine label – Italy and Spain immediately come to mind. However, the U.S. and most of the New World have no such laws. “Reserve” most likely indicates that the wines reflect the winemakers personal preferences. It does not necessarily mean that the wine is of a better quality. The Wine Witch also thinks it is an excuse to charges a bit more.
Related posts:
Posted in 
