Why Do Alcoholic Beverages Have "Legs"?

Abstract

After a sip of wine, "legs" of liquid typically run up and down the inside of the glass for many minutes. This phenomenon stems from the dipole-dipole intermolecular forces that are so important in understanding the physical behavior of aqueous solutions. The combination of cohesive forces within the liquid and adhesive forces between the liquid and a solid surface can explain physical phenomena such as viscosity, surface tension, capillary action, and the shape of the meniscus. Aqueous ethanol solutions tend to have cohesive forces that are weaker than those of pure water, while their adhesive forces toward polar glass surfaces are roughly equivalent to those of water. Because adhesive forces are stronger than cohesive forces, wine may cling to the glass surface, hovering high above the remainder of the wine in the bottom of the glass. As ethanol evaporates, however, cohesive forces increase until the wine falls in a thin stream. Upon touching the surface of the wine in the bottom of the glass, ethanol concentration is restored, cohesive forces weaken, and the thin stream of wine rises back to the top of the glass.See the author's additional comments