Summoning the right words to describe flavors and aromas isn’t easy, and most of us rely on critics’ reviews or tasting notes on the label to understand what to expect from a wine. The problem is that tasting notes often lean on overblown language that can leave you scratching your head. After all, when was the last time you tasted a gooseberry or wet stone?
Below, we’ve gathered some of the most commonly used wine descriptors to help you better understand what they actually mean when you’re deciphering your next tasting note.
Words to Describe Aroma & Flavor
Big – Most often used to describe a wine packed with mouth-coating flavor, though it can also refer to pronounced tannins in red wine.
Barnyard – Typically associated with Old World Bordeaux, this earthy aroma may recall manure, burnt rubber, or wet hay. While not inaccurate, it’s hardly flattering and isn’t much of a selling point. These funky notes usually come from compounds produced by Brettanomyces, a yeast involved in fermentation.
Black fruit – A broad category covering dark flavors like cassis, blackberry, and ripe plum. Most often associated with Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and other bold reds.
Buttery – Commonly used to describe “California-style” Chardonnay or other whites that have undergone malolactic fermentation and oak aging. It refers to both flavor and texture, which can be creamy or oily.
Cassis – A ripe, syrupy black-currant note most often used to describe powerful red wines.
Cigar box – Refers to sweet vanilla, cedar, and caramel flavors that typically come from aging in new oak barrels. Most often associated with red wines.
Crisp – Describes wines with bright, refreshing acidity, which are especially welcome on a warm summer day.
Grassy – A hallmark of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, evoking fresh-cut grass or green herbs.
Jammy – While some sommeliers cringe at the term, many drinkers love jammy wines. It refers to ripe, fruit-forward flavors commonly found in Grenache, Merlot, Shiraz, and Zinfandel.
Minerality – A catch-all term used to describe flavors reminiscent of chalk, crushed rock, river stone, or slate —most often in white wines. (No actual granite-licking required.)
Oaky – Oak barrels contribute many non-grape flavors. In whites, this may mean butter or caramel; in reds, vanilla, baking spice, or toast.
Red fruit – A broad descriptor for flavors like raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, and cherry. Often used for lighter-style reds such as Pinot Noir or Barbera, but it can apply to fuller wines as well.
Steely – Commonly found in descriptions of crisp white wines, especially those aged in stainless steel rather than oak.
Toasty – A byproduct of oak aging. Depending on how heavily the barrel was toasted, this can range from subtle warmth to pronounced smoky notes.
Words for Body & Structure
Creamy – A texture often found in oak-aged white wines or Champagne that have undergone malolactic fermentation, giving the wine a thicker, more viscous mouthfeel.
Dense – Not a comment on intelligence, but on concentration. A dense wine is packed with flavor and often described alongside a long list of tasting notes.
Flabby – A wine lacking acidity. This is not a compliment; flabby wines tend to feel flat and one-dimensional, often dominated by overripe fruit.
Flamboyant – Similar to “big,” this term describes wines with bold flavors, plenty of new oak, a long finish, and lots of personality.
Grainy (grippy, chewy) – Refers to the texture of tannins in red wine. Grainy tannins can make your mouth feel dry or puckered, while finer-grained tannins (often found in older wines) feel more polished.
Opulent – A richer, more refined version of flamboyant. Opulent wines balance full flavors with smooth tannins and an extended finish.
Tight – When a wine is tight, its tannins dominate and the fruit is hard to identify. These wines often benefit from decanting, which allows them to open up and reveal more complexity.
Velvety (soft, plush) – The red-wine counterpart to “creamy” in whites. Velvety wines have small, well-integrated tannins that deliver richness without dryness.
Developing a confident wine vocabulary takes practice, but luckily that’s something most of us don’t mind doing. As you taste different styles, these terms will start to click and your appreciation will deepen. Try using a few of them on your next visit to a tasting room or when a generous friend opens an expensive Bordeaux at dinner. Even if you’re not totally confident, chances are no one will fault you; you’ll sound savvy enough already.
