Window

beads on the rim (GB)

jambes, larmes (F)

archetto, lacrima, gamba (I)

Synonym for the phenomenon of the that appear on the inner wall when the wine glass is tilted; see there.

The term (also legs, little legs, windows, tears) for the liquid formations on the inside wall of a wine glass that form when the glass is swirled in a circle. This creates a more or less high, vertically arranged film of liquid. At the upper edge, the film begins to thicken and contracts into viscous, tear-like drops. These then flow back down to the liquid level.

Kirchernfenster - zwei Weingläser mit Kirchenfenstern

The decisive factor for the phenomenon in wine is the mixture of water and alcohol, but it would also work with any other mixture of two liquids with different boiling points. It would not occur with pure water or pure alcohol alone. In the picture on the right, the tears can be seen in the shadow (see arrow). The British physicist James Thomson, alias Lord Kelvin (1824-1907), recognised this phenomenon, which he called "tears of strong wine", as early as 1855. The discovery is...

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For my many years of work as an editor with a wine and culinary focus, I always like to inform myself about special questions at Wine lexicon. Spontaneous reading and following links often leads to exciting discoveries in the wide world of wine.
Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien

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Window

church windows, legs, tears

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