Meniscus

The thin edge of wine that forms the ring where the top of the wine touches the inside of a wineglass. By tilting the glass at 45-degree angle and looking down at the meniscus, you can get an idea of the wine’s age. The lighter the meniscus, the older the wine. In young Cabernet, for example, a deep garnet COLOR will extend from the core of the wine all the way through the meniscus to the inside wall of the glass. If the wine is significantly older, however, the core will usually be deeper in color than the meniscus.