Familiar wine phenomenon: this is what church windows mean in the wine glass

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You’ve probably heard at least once in your life: church windows or tears in a wine glass are a sign that the wine is perfect. What matters is not only its shape, but also how long the church window will remain after the wine glass has been turned. According to many, the longer the wine, the better.

The phenomenon of the church window in the wine glass has not yet been fully explained. But there are a few reasonable tips you can refer to. First of all, the most important thing: the church windows in the wine glass and the quality of the wine basically have nothing to do with each other.

More church windows with higher alcohol content

Italian physicist Carlo Marangoni (1840-1925) studied the surface tension of liquids and also investigated how liquids affect each other. A plausible way to explain stained glass windows is the Marangoni effect.

After turning the wine glass, a thin layer of liquid remains on its inner wall. The alcohol contained in the liquid film evaporates faster than the rest of the liquid, which shrinks with the help of surface tension to form narrow strips called church windows or rips.

Due to the reduced alcohol content, these stained glass windows have a higher density and higher surface tension than the rest of the liquid in the wine glass, which pulls the liquid from the bottom up into the stained glass window. This effect lasts for a few minutes because the alcohol rising up immediately evaporates again.

Sugar content and concentration are also important

In an alcohol-rich, concentrated wine, the distance between the often pointed stained glass windows is relatively small, but the high sugar content can enhance the effect. The greater distance between church windows and a more rounded shape suggest a wine with less alcohol content, less concentration and less sugar.

In low-alcohol, light, dry wines, the wine glass usually has almost no church windows. In summary, the shape and spacing of church windows in the wine glass can provide information on the alcohol and sugar content and the concentration of other ingredients. However, this has not yet been scientifically proven. However, church windows in wine glasses do not provide an indication of the overall quality of the wine.

Source : Blick