120+ Wine Descriptors Explained

WINE DESCRIPTIONS BODY YEAST • STYLE • TANNIN ACIDITY ALCOHOL • SPICE • FRUIT FLOWER • HERB • OAK • & WHAT THEY MEAN INORGANIC • INORGANIC MINERALITY an undefinable rock-lika character to wine with flavors other than fruit GRAPHITE a pencillead lke aroma and tate found in fne red wines WET ASPHALT a wetocky aroma found in white wines with moderate acidity WHITE FLOWERS ly apple blossom and gardenia are found in aromatic white wines STYLE UNCTUOUS a tetural discription for wines wth asaapy ar aily fueling en the tongue VIOLET aforal aroma ansociated with fine red wines lke Cabernet Sauvignon OILY JAMMY BITTER THIN O BARNYARD awine that melk ikn a farmywd a twutural dscription for a wine that vicks like ol in your mauth - aften due to MLF we creamy) PERFUMED a wine made with ripe fuit with high alcohol a wine that han acidty but Ittin subetance bimer tannin svery intense and yrmes a highly aromatic wine, typically used to desribe white wine HARSH O SMOKY CLIFF-EDGE PETROLEUM НОт tannin that dries out your mouth a wine that smells like moke or a camp fie the taste of awine dhappears quickly LAVENDER a positive dharacterisic in fine aged Mesing a wine that has high alcohol areinous foral aroma asociated wi wine originating in the South of France common in red wines AGGRESSIVE EARTHY awine that has a distinct dirt-lke aroma HOLLOW PLASTIC BURN tannin that drowns out the ather wine flavorn awine wh no ROSE a postive fioral aroma found in both red and white wines id palate a chemicale aroma associated with high-acidity white wines O LEATHERY when the alcohol 'burns' the GRIPPY tannin that stick to the sides of your mouthe MELLOW O back of your throat awine dhan hin smels Ike leather a wine without TAR CITRUS BLOSSOM LEGS major intensity ANGULAR O O MUSKY a very strong bunt, resinous & woodsy smell in earthy full-boded red wines citrus blossom is found in white wines from Riesiing to Chardonnay wines with thick legs have more alcohol and/or SHORT tannin that hits one spot on your palate a wine that smelk richly of musk or a wine wih shon lasting lavor sugar cotent RUBBER amoraranely stsong resinous GERANIUM O SPICY POWERFUL O O FLESHY AUSTERE O big smooth tannins uma bund in boh red and wite wines consicered a wine fault an high levels due to improper winemaking the sanation of spice either from alcohol, addity or variety awine that tastes fruity and meaty at the same time awhe thatS hard to drin O MUSKY COARSE ACCESSIBLE awne hat is emily ppreciated by drinkers ANGULAR O DIESEL a strong gasoline smell mostly Mociated with Australian Riesling an intense animaltie spicy favor tannins with a choppy grt, Ike coune sand paper a wine that has ough edges O BRIGHT O BRIGHT CLEAN awne dhat doesn't have earthy or atic favors LEATHERY SMOKY O SMOKY a wine with moderate acidity percehved as spicy awine with pronounced acidity delicate but earthy tannin oten found on older wine DELICATE O JAMMY O a wine that is fainty a burnt charcoale aoma LUsually associated with red wine a smoky cak favor could be due to highly tontad aak RIGID O DELICATE PEPPER a variety characteristic of pepper ASTRINGENT awne with aggressive acidity and tannin the fruit favors in the aggressive tannins in the hont of your mouth amne that is taintly flavaned ELEGANT O STEMMY a negative bitternote uSually on the finish CHARCOAL afeor commonly ansociated wth red Bordeaux wine RIPE O AUSTERE O ELEGANT a wine tantes light-boded with high acidity MUSCULAR ANISE a variety chaacteristic the wine is procuced with very pe grapes aggressive dhalky tannin sed to descrbe young wines a wine thats hard to drink due wine that has higher LIGHT-BODIED SWEET TOBACCO JUICY O CLOVE FIRM O O POLISHED awine that is light on te palate STALKY THIN awine that hm acidity but Itde subtance pensistant fine grained tannin awine that tasten clean ind wel made a wnet woody flner awoodsy herbaceous bitter note en the fnish of red wine a seet resinous smell used to describe young wines big on fuit but low FINESSE often attributed to oak aging FINESSE and flavoron the finish awine that has mell of an oaked wine LEAN STRUCTURED REFINED integrated acid & tannin VEGETAL TOASTY a positive descriptor for highly oaled wines FLAMBOYANT ane that is very showy with fruit favors wellintecrated but persistant fine-grained tannin usualhe used to describe a whine awne that tastes veryclean CLOSED wine with low fruit & high acidit usually consicered a negative earthy quality on the finish of red wne O ANGULAR- CHEWY a wine that doesnt have much firvor but has tannin O SPICY FLESHY O when a wine's acidity and tannin ht focuied points on your palte a tannin makes you want to chew in from the sides of your mouth POLISHED CAT'S PEE a wine that tastes fruity and meaty at the same ime RACY CHOCOLATE caroma associated whh Sauvignon Blanc Spice, nutmeg fine grained smooth tannin with very Iittle bite a wine with bracing acidity ASPARAGUS a cooked aroma on white wines typically pereived m negve O CLOVE EXTRACTED O COMPLEX TART SILKY a complex oak aroma often fnund with European oak whe that is darker & richer than ather wines made with the same grape awine that tastes sour due to acidity and/or veast (ee sour) Ane grained ultra-smooth tannins e bte a wine that keeps on delivering more interesting favors PLUMY FULL-BODIED GREEN NUTTY EDGY SMOOTH a big bold favoed wine a red wine with fresh plum favors aricher wine with high acidity wel-inparated tarnin also known as herbal, herbaceous and leaf-lie a favor that develops with long term aging in barreh TIGHT RED FRUIT NERVE ROUND a wine with high tannin thet interferes with other favors GRASSY COCONUT ualy red fruit favors indicate a lghter bodied wine another word for bracing acidity in wine smooth tannin with no b te the smell of fresh-cut grass associated wih white wines ike Griner Veitliner often aociated with oaked Chardonnay and American oak barrels FIRM O DARK FRUIT ZIPPY OPULENT awine wh high tennin that dries your mouth aut a lighter wine with very nosiceable acidity more fuit Pan tannin STRAWBERRY RASPBERRY CHERRY BLUEBERRY BLACKBERRY Tul bodied' red wines SAGE CARAMEL have more 'dark fruit favors a resinous and flowery herbal smell mostly in red wine a sweet aroma from ging wia ZESTY VELVETY POWERFUL O GRAPEY a wine that tastes mare a lighter wine with noticeable acidity a bold wine with Nigh very smooth tannin EUCALYPTUS VANILLA CONCENTRATED a wine with bold frutt flavors moderate acidity ind tannin LIVELY VOLUPTUOUS a mint-le resinous herbal wmel insociated with red wines from Australia flavor compound vanllas comes from oak a liohter ed or white wine wth BERRY possible berry favors found mostly in ed wine noticeable JALAPEÑO O O BUTTERY---e FRESH SUPPLE wel-integrated tannin DENSE LUME LEMON ORANGE awine with moderate acidity, often used to describe young wines a wine with bold tuit fors and moderate tannin a fesh spiey roma found in a few white wines an aroma corpound diecet from oak which iseasy to identify in white wines CASSIS (aka black currant) a very eardy fruit CRISP SOFT OPULENT O DILL O O DILL awine with noticeable acidity low tannin GRAPEFRUIT a bold wine with umooth tannim and lower acidity a complex aroma found in red whe an herbaceous oak aroma commonly associated wit CITRUS O |CITRUS ZEST YEAST DELICATE MELLOW O RICH chrus flrars found American oak mody in white/rosé wine awne thats may have heightened acidity but lighter on tannin and fruit le to no tannin BELL PEPPER O CREAMY SOUR a wine sturated with fuit favors STONE FRUIT SPINELESS lack of tannin makes wite SOFT an aroma in both red and white wine associated with a chemical compound group called pyrazines similar to buttery but aho is a testure due to malolacsc fementaion APRICOT NECTARINE PEACH EXTRACTED O cream due to vnast favors possible stone fruit favors found mostly in white/rose wine awne with lower acidity CHEESY a wine that is darker and richer than most wines in its style GOOSEBERRY O FLABBY FLABBY y a whne wine aoma that adds a vory characler TROPICAL FRUIT FLABBY O a weeter hertal Avor found in Sauvignon Blanc Iack of tannin maes wine saste weak amine with very low adidity possble tropical fuit faunes found mosdy in white/rose wine BISCUIT awne that is very low FALLEN OVER noted in aged scarking wines as yeast breals down over time MELON O BANANA PINEAPPLE LYCHEE IcocONUT QUINCE FAT O CREAMY awine that no longer has acidity agreen and tert fuit with astringent quanties a tacte in sed and some white no idity or tannin FLAT Amhe with no acidity wine due to Malolactic Fermentation OMLF APPLE BUTTERY while mast butbery sensations are due la cak aging, the letural oly feling on a white wine is from ML WINE FOLLY a very common aroma found in white wine WineFolly original artide: winefoly.com/tutorial/wine desariptions-chart infographic/ paster: shop.winefally.com/productstwine-descriptorsguide Leam BY DrinKinG FLOWER wine desriptions can be divided into ELEVEN CATEGORIES NINNYL BODY