Check out over 120 different wine descriptions defined.

You can split up wine descriptions into 12 main categories of characteristics such as body, fruit, herb, yeast and oak. Even though wine is just fermented grape juice (the non-fortified kind…) you can identify an incredibly wide range of flavors within it. Learn wine descriptions from astringent to zippy.

Wine Descriptions Chart

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To make this chart:

We looked at thousands of different wine descriptions from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and various major wine retailers. If that wasn’t enough, we took a look at the the Court of Master Sommelier analysis grid to compare the difference between sommelier sensory analysis vs. ‘flowery wine writing’. With all raw data in front of us, we focused on traits that were generally included in both sides of wine writing. This wine decriptions chart covers the basics and it doesn’t include everything. However, it is a great place to start your understanding of where wine flavors originate.

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12 Categories of Wine Descriptions

Wine Terms For Body

Thin a wine that has acidity but little substance Cliff-Edge the taste of a wine disappears quickly Hollow a wine with no mid-palate Mellow a wine without major intensity Short a wine with short lasting flavor Austere a wine that’s hard to drink Angular a wine that has rough edges Delicate a wine that is faintly bodied Elegant a wine tasting light-bodied with high acidity Light-Bodied a wine that is light on the palate Finesse a wine that has well integrated acid and tannin Closed a wine that doesn’t have much flavor but has tannin Polished a wine that tastes clean and well-made Complex a wine that keeps on delivering more interesting flavors Full-Bodied a big, bold flavored wine Tight a wine with high tannin that interferes with other flavors Firm a wine with high tannin that dries out your mouth Powerful a bold wine with high intensity Concentrated a wine with bold fruit flavors, moderate acidity and tannin Dense a wine with bold fruit flavors and moderate tannin Opulent a bold wine with smooth tannins and lower acidity Rich a wine saturated with fruit flavors Extracted a wine that is darker and richer than most wines in its style Flabby a wine that has very low acidity Fat a wine with fruit but no acidity or tannin

Wine Terms for Style

Barnyard a wine that smells like a farmyard Smokey a wine that smells like a camp fire Earthy a wine that has a distinct dirt-like aroma Leathery a wine that has the smell of leather Musky a wine that smells richly of musk ox Fleshy a wine that tastes fruity and meaty at the same time Accessible a wine that is easily appreciated by drinkers Clean a wine that doesn’t have earthy or rustic flavors Delicate a wine that is faintly flavored Elegant a wine that has higher acidity Polished a wine that tastes clean and well-made Refined a wine that tastes very clean

Wine Terms For Tannin

Bitter bitter tannin is very intense and ‘green’ Harsh tannin that dries out your mouth Aggressive tannin that drowns out the other wine flavors Grippy tannin that sticks to the sides of your mouth Angular tannin that hits one spot on your palate Powerful big smooth tannins Coarse tannins with a choppy grit, like course sandpaper Leathery delicate but earthy tannin often found in older wine Rigid aggressive tannins in the front of your mouth Muscular aggressive chalky tannin; used to describe young wines Firm persistent fine-grained tannin Structured well integrated but persistent fine-grained tannin Chewy a tannin that makes you want to chew it from the sides of your mouth Chocolate fine-grained smooth tannin with very little bite Silky fine-grained ultra smooth tannins with very little bite Smooth well integrated tannin Round smooth tannin with no bite Opulent more fruit than tannin Velvety very smooth tannin Voluptuous more fruit than tannin Supple well integrated tannin Soft low tannin Mellow little-to-no tannin Spineless lack of tannin makes wine taste weak Flabby lack of tannin makes wine taste weak

Wine Terms For Acidity

Bright a wine with pronounced acidity Astringent a wine with aggressive acidity and tannin Austere a wine with aggressive acidity and tannin Thin a wine that has acidity but little substance Lean usually used to describe a white wine with low fruit and high acidity Angular when a wine’s acidity and tannin hit focused points on your palate Racy a wine with bracing acidity Tart a wine that tastes sour due to acidity and/or yeast (see ’sour’) Edgy a richer wine with high acidity Nerve another word for bracing acidity in wine Zippy a lighter wine with very noticeable acidity Zesty a lighter wine with noticeable acidity Lively a lighter red or white wine with noticeable acidity Fresh a wine with moderate acidity; often used to describe young wines Crisp a wine with noticeable acidity Delicate a wine that may have heightened acidity, but lighter on tannin and fruit Soft a wine with lower acidity Flabby a wine with very low acidity Fallen Over a wine that no longer has acidity due to age Flat a wine with no acidity

Wine Terms For Alcohol

Jammy a wine made with ripe fruit with high alcohol Hot a wine that has high alcohol Burn when the alcohol ‘burns’ the back of your throat Legs wine with thick legs have more alcohol and/or sugar content

Wine Terms For Fruit

Jammy the fruit flavors in the wine taste like jam Ripe the wine is produced with very ripe grapes Juicy used to describe young wines

big on fruit but low FINESSE Flamboyant a wine that is very showy with fruit flavors Fleshy a wine that tastes fruity and meaty at the same time Extracted wine that is darker ∓ richer than other wines made

with the same grape Plumy a red wine with fresh plum flavors Red Fruit usually red fruit flavors indicate a lighter bodied wine Dark Fruit ‘full bodied’ red wines have more ‘dark fruit’ flavors Grapey a wine that tastes more like grape juice Berry possible berry flavors found mostly in red wine Strawberry

Raspberry

Cherry

Blueberry

Blackberry Cassis (aka ‘black currant’) a very earthy fruit Citrus citrus flavors found mostly in white/rosé wine Lime

Lemon

Grapefruit

Orange

Citrus Zest Stone Fruit possible stone fruit flavors found mostly in white/rosé wine Apricot

Nectarine

Peach Tropical Fruit possible tropical fruit flavors found mostly in white/rosé wine Banana

Pineapple

Leechie

Coconut Melon a juicy and sweet fruit flavor in white wines Apple a very common aroma found in white wine

Wine Terms for Herb

Stemmy a negative bitter note usually on the finish Stalky a woodsy herbaceous bitter note on the finish of red wine Vegetal usually considered a negative ‘earthy’ quality on the finish of red wine Cat’s Pee a negative tart acidic aroma associated with Sauvignon Blanc Asparagus a cooked aroma on white wines typically perceived as negative Green also known as herbal, herbaceous and leaf-like Grassy the smell of fresh-cut grass associated with white wines like Grüner Veltliner Sage a resinous and flowery herbal smell mostly in red wine Eucalyptus a mint-like resinous herbal smell associated with red wines from Australia Jalapeno a fresh spicy aroma found in a few white wines Dill a complex aroma found in red wine Bell Pepper an aroma in both red and white wine associated with a chemical compound group called pyrazines Gooseberry a sweeter herbal flavor found in Sauvignon Blanc Quince a green and tart fruit with astringent qualities

Wine Terms for Spice

Spicy the sensation of spice either from alcohol, acidity or variety Musky an intense animalistic spicy flavor Bright a wine with moderate acidity perceived as spicy Pepper a variety characteristic of pepper Anise a variety characteristic of licorice Clove a sweet woodsy flavor often attributed to oak aging

Wine Terms for Flower

White Flowers lily, apple blossom and gardenia are found in aromatic white wines Violet a floral aroma associated with fine red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon Perfumed a highly aromatic wine, typically used to describe white wine Lavender a resinous floral aroma associated with wine originating in the South of France – common in red wines Rose a positive floral aroma found in both red and white wines Citrus Blossom citrus blossom is found in white wines from Riesling to Chardonnay Geranium considered a wine fault at high levels due to improper winemaking

Wine Terms for Oak

Smoky a smoky oak flavor could be due to highly toasted oak barrels Charcoal a flavor commonly associated with red Bordeaux wine Sweet Tobacco a sweet resinous smell and flavor on the finish of an oaked wine Toasty a positive descriptor for highly oaked wines Spicy baking spices like clove, allspice, nutmeg are from oak aging Clove a complex oak aroma often found with European oak Nutty a flavor that develops with longterm aging in barrels Coconut often associated with oaked Chardonnay and American oak barrels Caramel a sweet aroma from aging wine in toasted oak barrels Vanilla flavor compound vanillan comes from oak Buttery an aroma compound diacetyl from oak which is easy to identify in white wines Dill an herbaceous oak aroma commonly associated with American oak Creamy similar to ‘buttery’ but also is a texture due to malolactic fermentation

Wine Terms for Yeast

Sour a taste sensation similar to sour cream due to yeast flavors Cheesy mostly a white wine aroma that adds a savory character Biscuit noted in aged sparkling wines as yeast breaks down over time Creamy a taste in red (and some white wine) due to Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) Buttery while most buttery sensations are due to oak aging, the textural oily feeling on a white wine is from M.L.F.

Wine Terms for Inorganic

Minerality an undefinable rock-like character to wine with flavors other than fruit Graphite a pencil lead-like aroma and taste found in fine red wines Wet Asphalt a wet-rocky aroma found in white wines with moderate acidity Unctuous a textural description for wines with a soapy or oily feeling on the tongue Oily a textural description for a wine that slicks like oil in your mouth – often due to MLF (see ‘creamy’) Petroleum a positive characteristic in fine aged Riesling Plastic a chemical-like aroma associated with high-acidity white wines Tar a very strong burnt, resinous and woodsy smell in earthy full-bodied red wines Rubber a moderately strong resinous aroma found in both red and white wines Diesel a strong gasoline smell mostly associated with Australian Riesling Smoky a burnt charcoal-like aroma usually associated with red wine





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Live the wine lifestyle. Use this chart to craft your very own wine descriptions.



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