Poetic Wine Descriptions to Sound Like an Expert

We’ve been to A LOT of wineries. When in wine country, whether it’s Sonoma or Napa or the Texas Hill Country, it’s important to sound the part, even if you’re an amateur wine drinker.

It’s just more fun to have terrific wine times while pretentiously swirling your glass and dropping some sweet wisdom on the sommelier.

A sommelier, by the way, is another name for a wine expert. They’re the person pouring your wine.

If you’re bringing some wine-tasting lingo with you, everyone around you will be all, “Who is that important person over there? They seem to have it all figured out.” 

Are you with me now?

Here are a few of my favorite descriptions for wine to make you sound posh, poetic, and all kinds of knowledgeable for your next wine trip.

The Basics of Describing Wine

Wine is described through its color, aroma, taste, and texture. Attributes like acidity, tannins, and body define its palate, while terms such as fruity, oaky, or floral capture its bouquet.

That all said, wine can be described in a very subjective way. What I taste may not resemble what you taste, and vice versa. That’s what can be so fun about it.

The Basic Wine Characteristics

The five basic wine characteristics are:

• Sweetness: This is a reference to the residual sugars in a wine. If you don’t love sweetness, opt for dry wines.
• Acidity: A high level of acidity can make your tongue tingle, not unlike pop rocks.
• Tannin: This one relates to levels of bitterness in wine. Bold reds are often bigger on tannins.
• Alcohol: While most wines are somewhere in the 11–13% ABV range, lighter wines may fall below that and affect taste.
• Body: This is the weight and fullness of wine in the mouth. Wines can be light, medium, or full-bodied.

From here, color and appearance, the aroma, and a wine’s finish can all make for a unique experience during a wine tasting.

Wine Descriptions for Wine Origins

These are poetic wine descriptions for where a wine comes from. That includes where the grapes were grown, your knowledge of whether the wine was bottled in a very good year, and any aging potential.

Ah, (insert year)…an excellent vintage!

The vintage date tells you quite a bit about wine, in particular when the grapes you’re drinking were harvested, rather than only the age of the wine.

You can add to this by telling the pourer the given year was particularly good for grape growers.

Name-drop another wine region if you wish, and be all, “The pinot noir in the blah blah valley was exceptional that year!”

Fun fact: if you want to blow some minds and are drinking zinfandel, ask about whether it came from old zin vines. If it’s anything under a century, feel free to turn your nose up a bit and make a dismissive noise. Apparently, if the zin vines are under a century old, they’re less developed.

This wine has a great terroir.

Terroir refers to where the grapes that led to the wine in your glass were grown. A wine from Napa Valley has a different taste than a wine from Alabama, hopefully, or a wine from Chile, naturally.

If the wine you’re drinking in Napa tastes like a wine from Napa should, you can wax on about its terroir.

If you don’t know whether the wine you’re drinking in Napa tastes like a wine from Napa should, you can also wax on about its terroir as if you do.

If you’re in Napa, it’s probably more likely than not that it does, indeed, taste like a Napa wine.

Merlot is my favorite varietal.

A varietal is a wine made from a primary grape. A single-varietal merlot is made primarily of merlot grapes. It doesn’t have to reach 100%, though.

In the United States, it’s 75% of one grape and up for a varietal wine.

To sound really smart, make sure you don’t confuse the word with “variety.” Variety just means different types of grapes. In descriptions of red wine in a red blend, for example, you can talk about the different varieties that make up that wine.

I like the honeyed notes on this late-harvest wine.

Just make sure you’re actually talking about a late-harvest wine in this situation. These are wines made of grapes left on the vine longer than usual.

They’re typically sweeter as that ripening bumps up the residual sugars in the wine and higher in alcohol content than more conventional wines.

In the Finger Lakes of New York and other cold climates, late-harvest wines are often bottled as ice wines. They’re boozy, syrupy wines best served as a dessert wine.

I’m all about a red blend if it’s well-balanced.

I’m sure you already know all about this one. A blend is just a mix of several grape varieties. It can also be made of a few different varietal wines. (You know the difference now because you’re an expert in wine lingo!)

If done well, these are often my favorite wines, so my description of red wines resulting in a blend is typically quite positive.

They’re a bit more nuanced and complex, and I don’t have to seek out elements of specific varietals to sound smart.

Wine Descriptions for Flavor

There is so much you can possibly say about the flavors in wine. This is where things get super subjective, especially if you’re at a tasting involving natural wines.

I’ve gotten hints of blue cheese in those scenarios.

Have fun when describing wine flavor. If you believe it’s true, it is.

I taste notes of…

Fill in the blank with this one, one of the most popular wine descriptors.

You can legitimately describe what you taste, e.g. floral notes, freshness, and fruity flavors like grapefruit or cherries. You can also just use the tasting menu in front of you to cheat a little bit.

Note: You can even call a wine grapy, because that’s a thing that happens in wine circles. It just means you can taste the grapes, not necessarily notes of grape juice.

Have some fun with it and describe what you wish you were tasting, e.g. bacon, carbs, baking spices, a sharp cheddar, or vanilla wafers.

You’ll find that sometimes you’re right on the nose, even when you’re messing around, and then everyone around you becomes super impressed.

I’m feeling — and tasting — all toasty with this one.

Toasty wines are typically wines coming at you from oak-fermented barrels. You may even get a toasty-like smell off the finish of wines like this.

As these are often in the chardonnay description category, I’m probably not using this wine description all that often. I’m just not a Chardi girl, you guys.

That’s OK. Like what you like.

If you’re feeling quite toasty, though, it may be time to switch to those water glasses, friend.

This wine is quite neutral, isn’t it?

If you’re really at a loss, it’s perfectly fine to describe a wine as neutral.

That means it doesn’t have any intense characteristics either way, but it’s still quite a drinkable wine. This inoffensive kind of wine is perfect for anytime drinking, e.g. anytime you want some wine.

It could be for any time you have unexpected company over that rudely didn’t bring you any wine, neutral or otherwise.

Oh, this one is a little prickly!

Often found in the riesling description category, prickly wines are a little zippy, perhaps with some bubbles, and leave behind a residual effect on your tongue.

It’s not a bad thing. It just reminds you that you’re drinking wine and feeling quite alive.

It’s the opposite of a short finish, which suggests nothing is left behind on the palate after your sip, but it;s not silky or velvety, either.

It’s…prickly.

You get what I mean.

I like the crisp minerality of this one.

You’re not saying that the wine you’re sipping on tastes like rocks, but there can be subtle flinty vibes with this wine description. It’s that distinct sense that something else is going on with this one that isn’t fruit or acidity.

You may also see the word “minerally” in tasting notes. The two are one and the same. Much like a fall day, both descriptors are of earthy flavors and aromas that may just remind you of wet concrete.

It’s better than licking the sidewalk is all I’ll say.

This chardonnay displays a buttery richness.

I’ve never heard words like “buttery” used in any other context than with chardonnay, but it’s apparently also a thing with white wines like chenin blanc and sémillon.

Use it when you taste creamy flavors with a lingering finish or when you taste literal butter.

This cabernet features some enticing notes of cassis.

Cassis refers to a blackcurrant taste in the wine. If you’re not sure what the heck blackcurrant tastes like, just apply what you know about the other berries in your life. It’s all the same when it comes to wine, mostly.

Notes of cassis are deep and concentrated. If a wine is associated with fruit-forward flavors, this one likely applies.

This jammy zin would pair well with some Skippy, amirite??

Jammy wines are syrupy, berry-forward reds like grenache or zinfandels. Think ripe blackberry and raspberry dominating the palate for a velvety texture that, honestly, probably does pair well with a peanut butter sandwich.

I’m getting a hint of allspice with this one.

A “hint of” is more subtle than flavors that dominate the palate. It’s something you might get a whiff of, like herbs or spices.

If you’re just getting into natural, biodynamic, or organic wines, that hint may be soil, gasoline, or even gym socks. I’m not even kidding. Things can get very funky with natural wines.

This oaked white is all vanilla and I am loving it!

This wine descriptor is more common with white wines. Oaked whites are toasty, buttery, and nutty. That said, this can apply to red wines, too.

Oaked reds are big on baking spices like vanilla, so you don’t need to avoid this one if you’re thinking about how to describe red wine.

On the other side of the spectrum, unoaked wines are more citrus-forward. They have more zip and a higher level of acidity. If a wine is making your mouth pucker, it’s unlikely it’s an oaked wine.

This wine is…bad.

Bad wine can actually be pretty hard to describe. You could say it’s oxidized or has been fermenting too long.

That’s the literal take. The wine has simply gone bad, and it’s time for a different taste or glass.

You could also say it’s just not for you if you don’t want to offend anyone and it hasn’t gone sour.

I’ve had many a wine expert tell me that, “You’ll like this chardonnay. It’s different than all the others. This one is more approachable.”

I never do, though, and the sommeliers out there shouldn’t take it personally.

I just like what I like. Am I going to toss that sip into the bucket, though? No. I do wine country on a budget.

How to Describe Wine Tannins

Wine tannins are what create the drying sensation in your mouth. It’s similar to the effect of a strong black tea. They add complexity and balance to wines when they’re not overpowering. A wine too big on the tannins can result in astringency.

Whether you like wines high in tannins or not depends on your individual palate.

I can tell you let the tannins mellow.

You can also replace this one with, “I can tell you allowed this wine some room to breathe.”

Tannins are what give you that hard, cottonmouth feeling that’s more pleasant than actual cottonmouth since you’re drinking wine in this scenario vs. dying of thirst. 

Note: Letting a wine sit there for a bit changes the flavor and how the wine feels in your mouth. It allows you to fully experience the wine as it should be, and to be more thorough in describing wine taste.

Wine right out of the bottle that hasn’t been aerated can be a touch bitter or acidic, is what I hear.

Sometimes you’ve got that kind of time involved with aerating wine. Sometimes you’re on a mission and will drink whatever swill is poured for you in rapid succession. You do you.

This one is bone dry.

Calling a wine “dry” or “bone dry” isn’t a reference to the cottonmouth you feel after drinking it. That’s the tannins you’re feeling and tasting, which you already know all about.

A wine’s dryness is a reference to the amount of residual sugar in the wine, making it less sweet, perhaps even a little steely.

If you’re drinking a sweet dessert wine, calling it “dry” would not win you any admirers. They may feel bad enough for you that they’ll pour you some extra tastes of actually dry wines, so it’s not a bad strategy.

In this case, who’s the fool now?

Whew, this grippy wine is a sipper.

Wine with too much grip isn’t a chugging wine. I mean, no wine is meant for chugging, but grippy wines are actually a challenge to drink quickly.

Grip is a reference to tannins. They’re assertive and stick to the sides of your mouth. This is what we do for wine. It’s a real sacrifice.

This structured wine will be great in a few years.

Structured wines are great for aging. They’re high in tannins and challenging to drink right out of the bottle otherwise. You may think that’s a challenge you can take on, but the experts say these get more balanced if you wait a while.

A well-structured wine profile is layered and complex. If you always wanted to stock that wine cellar, these are the wines to do it with.

This chewy red is like noshing on a steak!

This is another reference to tannins that stick to the sides of your mouth. It’s almost as if you can chew the wine after each sip. That’s how dense that mouthfeel is.

Now, I’m usually hungrier after some chewy wine so I’m not sure I completely understand this one, but that could have more to do with the alcohol involved.

I like a sauvignon blanc that’s not too angular.

An angular wine is a wine with high acidity. The experts say it’s like sipping on something that’s literally angular, even triangular, because of its sharpness.

This isn’t generally a compliment. If a wine is hitting one spot on your palate, it’s likely lacking balance. This can happen with sharp white wines.

Would I still drink it? Probably. Maybe I like where it’s hitting.

Wine Descriptions for Body

The body of a wine refers to what it does to the inside of your mouth. I’m not sure how else to say that without sounding like a creep.

It’s about how bold a wine is, the wine’s mouthfeel, and the thickness of each sip. A thin wine is obviously easier to sip more of, which could be a problem depending on your habits.

Oh my, this is a full-bodied wine!

You’re typically referring to wines with a heady, higher alcohol content when describing wine here, and this one’s popular among red wines.

A cabernet sauvignon, for example, is a beefy, full-bodied red wine best enjoyed on terraces overlooking mountainous landscapes or used living room couches.

Either situation is appropriate for the kinds of wines exhibiting such a fullness. 

Fun fact: You have the ancient Greeks to thank for the old adage “drink to your health.” The host in those days would always taste the wine first to ensure it hadn’t been poisoned. That’s fun!

Brian is a big fan of bold red wines. He tends to drink “bold beers,” as well, as it relates to their alcohol content, so I think I know the game he’s playing here.

I love a light-bodied pinot noir.

Conversely, a light-bodied wine has a higher acidity. It’s not as bold with fewer tannins. While this one is often paired with white wines, pinot noir is typically described as a light-bodied red wine.

Pinot noir, you’re a star. Don’t listen to the haters.

I’m encountering a smooth mouthfeel with this one.

This little piece of wine slang relates to the texture you feel in your mouth following that first sip.

What kind of physical sensation do you feel as you sip that sauvignon blanc? Is it attractive, meaning easy to drink? Is it crisp, flinty, and fresh? Or is it deep and full-flavored? Some wines like it rough. Some are thick and creamy.

I dare you to try this gem with a straight face. Let me know how it went. 

This wine is quite fat.

This one is quite hilarious, but just not used enough among wine writers.

It doesn’t mean you’re body-shaming the wine, although this one isn’t generally a good thing among winemakers. Fat wines are typically fruit-forward and low on acid.

You may also see these kinds of wines, often in the white category, described as big and supple. They fill up your mouth in a way that isn’t always the best, unlike your favorite foods. (It’s cheese for me, every time.)

This wine is quite flabby.

It’s getting fun around here, right? Much like a “fat” wine, flabby is one of those funny wine descriptions for wines that lack acidity.

Again, you won’t hurt the wine’s feelings if you call it flabby, but you may not make any friends at the winery.

I like a round wine in my face.

Baby got wine.

Unlike fat or flabby wines, round wines are of the more desirable sort. I suppose you could call them the Botticelli ladies of wine.

A round wine has a nice smooth finish. The tannins are balanced by the fruit and it’s all quite copacetic.

This elegant wine is the belle of this tasting.

Elegant wines are the royalty of wines. They’re well-balanced and refined. Sometimes they’re meant for aging. They evolve on your palate like your views on whatever controversial thing you used to believe.

They’re likely the most expensive bottle on your list, so sip carefully unless your credit card has the room.

Descriptions for Wine Characteristics

Some wine descriptions are all about what your senses tell you about a wine. It’s what you see in your glass as you swirl the thing around. It can be about what you smell, a sense that affects the eventual taste.

Trust your instincts and toss the rest away. I’m telling you, so much of this is SO subjective.

READ MORE: Travel preferences are subjective, too. Check out my post on why we need to stop calling things overrated.

Look at the legs on that!

Legs form on a glass of wine after you swirl it around. You can also refer to them as tears, which is very dramatic. They’re essentially the drips coming down the inside of the wine glass.

If you’re nearing the end of a wine-tasting day, there may be some spillage in your pursuit of said legs.

If that happens, take your floppy sun hat off, toss your hair back, laugh, and proclaim, “What a world!”

At the very least, you’ll seem very eccentric.

This one has quite a complex finish.

You’re talking about the aftertaste here.

Sometimes you won’t even be able to pinpoint exactly what it is that you’re tasting. You can try but do so with authority to give off an air of knowing what you’re talking about if you do.

Complex covers all your bases, even if the aftertaste is about as delightful as your grandma’s pocket candies. It’s a fancy way of saying, “I’m not sure what it is that I’m tasting on the end there, but it’s quite intriguing.”

That sounds very fancy, too. You can also go with that one.

The nose of this one is…

No list of wine terms is complete without talking about the nose. The nose of a wine relates to the aromas you smell coming off the pour, or the bouquet of the wine if you want to get even fancier.

Swirl that baby around, and stick your nose in the glass. What do you smell coming up your nostrils? What examples of aromatics are you getting? Is it herbaceous? Do you smell grass? That’s probably legitimate.

Name some fruits, perhaps, or anything with acidity.

You can also go completely off the wall and convince everyone around you that you’re smelling Christmas morning.

If it’s your third or fourth tasting, you may very well be. In that case, merry Christmas or happy holidays or whatever.

This soft, well-balanced wine is my favorite so far.

You’re oozing compliments with this one.

A soft wine is a mellow wine that doesn’t take much to enjoy. It’s likely low on the acidity factor, with a balanced finish that’s inoffensive to even the most amateur wine drinkers.

You’re likely pulling out the credit card on this one. No regrets, people.

I’m getting red fruit as the primary aroma.

There are three layers of aroma with wine. The primary ones come from the grape itself. If you’re smelling red fruits or lavender, those are the primary aromas.

Secondary aromas come from the fermentation process. Winemaking techniques and levels of yeast can make a wine smell toastier or nuttier.

The last are the tertiary aromas. These can change over time. An aged red might take on aromas of leather, tobacco, or a cigar box, which I’m told are good things.

Check out the bead trail on this champers!

The bead trail refers to the string of bubbles visible in sparkling wine or Champagne. Don’t talk about beads in any other wine context unless you want to sound like a fool.

A fine bead means you’re sipping delicate bubbles. These are smooth, sparkling wines or Champagnes that go down like silk. I would know.

READ MORE: We love visiting Champagne from Paris. Learn about why the city is one of our favorites!

This flamboyant wine is a show-off.

I love this one. Flamboyant wines want your attention. They’re fruit-forward and showy.

I find that most wines deserve my attention, so I may need to get more discerning with this one.

This one is a bit unctuous for my taste.

Unctuous can reference the wine’s flavor, but it’s also a mouthfeel. These are wines that leave an oily or soapy aftertaste behind.

Wait until I tell you that this is generally positive. Unctuous wines are also rich and lush. They’re a little extra, if you will.

Tasting wine is subjective.

In general, wine descriptors articulate the sensory qualities of wine. They cover the appearance, aroma, flavor, and texture of wine.

Most importantly, they’re meant to give you an idea of your personal preferences when it comes to wine. What does wine taste like to you? It’s likely not the same as my take, even if we’re sipping side by side.

Like what you like. Don’t give in to peer pressure about what good wine really is or that certain wines are for peons or uncultured folk.

Be confident in that, unless you’re going to try to tell me the bottle of wine I brought to your housewarming doesn’t beat the box of wine in your fridge.

In any case, if you have a friend who tries to shame you for liking one type of wine or another, ignore them. They don’t actually know what they’re talking about, either.

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