Take a look at those legs

The appearance of wine is not as important as the flavor, or even the scent for that matter. We read wine reviews that go into detail about the color intensity, opaqueness, and legs. For those of us that don't compete in blind wine tasting contests, those details are a bit irrelevant.

Even though intensity of color and legs are not a flavor, they add to the experience of drinking wine. Color and legs are indicators of where a wine came from, how old it is, and how much alcohol it contains.

Legs are the tears that roll down the side of your glass when you gently roll the wine around in the bowl. Sometimes it takes a minute of rolling to get the legs to form, but when they do, they are usually very distinct. Well defined legs are a sign of higher alcohol. Legs with a tinge of color are a sign of really high alcohol. Wine that does not create legs, no matter how much you roll it in the glass, has a lower alcohol content.

While you're rolling the wine around in the bowl, take note of the color; is it constant toward the rim or does it fade? The color of older wine fades when tilted toward the rim. The older the wine, the more it fades, while young wines offer color right up to the rim.

Dark color in a red wine is a clue that the wine came from a hot growing region. Wines from Spain, South America, Southern France, Australia and California can be deeply hued.

Color and legs are indicators of a wine's body. Next time you have a glass of red or white wine, take a moment to generate some legs; they are a whole new way to appreciate a glass of wine.