All Those Wine Flavors
What Tasting It Is All About

There probably isn’t much of anything in the food and drink world that can vary so widely as wine flavors. And sometimes it’s tricky and difficult to know exactly what you are tasting. Add subjectivity to it and it gets even trickier. But don’t worry. All you have to do it is like them.

Below are some of the wine flavors you will encounter. If a lot of these look familiar, it is because they are similar to the aromas you get. Certainly no surprise. However, sometimes a wine may taste quite differently from the aroma. That’s a surprise.

Depending on the wine, here is what you can expect:

• Fruits such as pineapples, grapefruit, peaches, pears, apples, cherries, blackcurrants, plums, blackberries
• Vegetables such as celery, asparagus, olives
• Herbs such as thyme, sage, lavender
• Spices such as pepper, cloves, licorice, cinnamon
• Florals such as roses, violets, blossoms
• Toasted flavors such as nuts, butter, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, tobacco, caramel
• Earthy such as leather, dirt, barnyard, petroleum, mineral

  Don’t worry about the earthy tastes. While they may not be your cup of tea, you’re not drinking dirt. Indeed, look beyond the earthy taste and concentrate on the other flavors. There will be some. And you may like them.

By varietal

• Chardonnays will taste like grass or apples or lemons or pineapples or buttery or vanilla
• Rieslings will taste like limes or blossoms or honey or peachy or citrus
• Sauvignon blancs will taste like grass or limes or grapefruit or gooseberries or asparagus
• Chenin blancs will taste like melons or honey or apples
• Viogniers will taste like apricots or peaches or wood
• Pinot grigios will taste like citrus or pine or apricot
• Gewürztraminers will taste fruity or like roses or grapefruit
• Cabernets will taste like blackcurrants or cedar or mint or peppery or chocolate or earthy
• Cabernet francs will taste like tobacco or peppers or raspberries
• Merlots will taste like plums or blackcurrants or black cherries
• Pinot noirs will taste like cherries or raspberries or tobacco or spicy
• Syrahs/shirazes will taste like plums or blackberries or tobacco or black pepper
• Zinfandels will taste jammy or like black cherries or peppery
• Sangioveses will taste like cherries or raisins or violets or earthy
• Beaujolais (Gamay grape) will taste like strawberries and raspberries
• Nebbiolos will taste like raspberries or plums or licorice or earthy
• Tempranillos will taste like vanilla or strawberries or leathery or spicy or cherries
• Malbecs will taste like raspberries or plums or chocolate or spicy
• Grenaches will taste smoky or peppery or like raspberries
• Petite syrahs will taste like dark fruits or peppery or earthy

I think that those who say they don’t like wine need to try some different wines from what they had. They need to explore what there is and have some fun doing it. As you can see from above, there is something for everyone.

P.S. Did you notice that quite a few of the wines can taste of raspberries? Are we sure wine is not made from them instead of grapes? Not only that, for being made from grapes, very few wines actually taste like grapes. How’s that for a paradox?

Return From Wine Flavors To Tasting Wine

Return From Wine Flavors To Home Page