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Wien urban l3gends finaly put 2 r3st

By TYLER BALLIET

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There are a lot of mysterious rumors surrounding wine. Here are a few and why they are completely preposterous.

NICE LEGS = HIGH QUALITY

While this might be true for models or strippers, the legs—streaks left on the inside of the glass by the wine—have little to do with the overall quality. Depending on your country of origin, they can be referred to as "legs," "tears" or "church windows" and denote surface tension between alcohol and water in the wine, but little else.

YOU SHOULD SMELL THE CORK

If you smell the cork in a restaurant, you'll just get a huge whiff of wine-soaked tree bark and 'look like a chode. The old ritual of being shown the cork allows the diner to verify that the producer's name matches both the cork and bottle. Sketchy restaurants have been known to rip off diners by replacing the labels on cheap bottles with more expensive ones and conning diners. The cork move keeps the establishment honest and proves you're getting the wine you ordered.

WINE WITH A SCREW CAP SUCKS

This could not be further from the truth, as most wine from Australia and New Zealand are now closed with screw caps. Many US wineries are also making the change, including Bonny Doon and PlumpJack. The only major concern is whether screw-capped wines will hold up after decades in the cellar. This is of little concern to the majority of us, since we'll often twist the top off mere hours after the purchase.

"RESERVE" MEANS IT'S BETTER

Ever notice how Miller, Budweiser and Coors all claim to be the best beer on the planet? Yeah, that's called marketing, and the multi-billion dollar wine industry isn't ashamed to do a little self-promotion, either. While tossing around words like "Reserve" or "Vintners Blend" has no official meaning, the governments of most European countries have set up actual designation systems with very strict naming criteria in order to ensure quality. However, because they are European, most of the laws are obscenely complicated and change from region to region. To start, look for an official government declaration like the French AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) or German QbA (Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete).

SULFITES GIVE YOU A HEADACHE

Sulfites are naturally produced during the fermentation process (turning sugar to booze), but they are also added to prolong the life of the wine. While many people blame sulfites for their headaches, there may be other factors. The FDA estimates that only 1 percent of people have sulfite sensitivity; plus, sulfites are prevalent in other foods such as dried fruits, baked goods, pizza dough and cheeses. Unless you get a "pizza hangover," we can rule this out. It isn't exactly known what causes these "red wine headaches," but fellow culprits include tannins, histamines and drunkenness.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: THESECONDGLASS.COM