Much like the angels share in spirits, wine is also subject to evaporation. Before the concept was fully understood, folk wisdom was that spirits had entered your cellar and stolen some of your wine. In order to combat this, early winemakers would leave out a glass of their best vintage for the ghost in the cellar.
Returning days later to find an empty glass only strengthened the superstition. Today in many cellars around the world, winemakers and cellar masters carry on this tradition.
