Wine Tasting Wheel – The Wine Tasting Wheel is a helpful tool to learn about wines and enhance the ability to describe the complexity of wine flavors. The wheel comes in many different forms, but share numerous common descriptors. The following are some major classifications used in the various wine tasting wheels.

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Wine Tasting Wheel:

Fruity

Citrus – Grapefruit and Lemon

Berry – Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry and Black Currant

Tree Fruit – Cherry, Apricot, Peach and Apple

Tropical Fruit – Pineapple, Melon and Banana

Dried Fruit – Strawberry Jam,  Raisin, Prune and Fig

Herbaceous

Fresh – Cut Green Grass, Bell Pepper, Eucalyptus and Mint

Canned/Cooked – Green Beans, Asparagus, Green Olive, Black Olive and Artichoke

Dried – Hay, Straw, Tea, and Tobacco

Chemical

Pungent – Sulfur Dioxide, Ethanol, Acetic Acid and Ethyl Acetate

Sulfur – Wet Dog, Sulfur Dioxide, Burnt Match, Cabbage, Skunk, Garlic, Rubbery

Petroleum – Diesel, Kerosene, Plastic and Tar

Woody

Burned – Smokey, Burnt Toast, and Coffee

Phenolic – Medicinal, Phenolic, and Bacon

Resinous – Oak, Cedar, and Vanilla

Microbiological

Yeasty – Leesy and Baker’s Yeast

Lactic – Yoghurt, Sweaty, and Sauerkraut

Earthy

Moldy – Moldy and Moldy Cork

Earthy – Mushroom and Dusty

Pungent

Cool – Menthol

Hot – Alcohol

Caramel

Caramel – Honey, Butterscotch, Butter, Soy Sauce, Chocolate, and Molasses

Floral

Floral – Germanium, Violet, Rose, and Orange Blossom

Spicy

Spicy – Licorice Anise, Black Pepper, and Cloves

Nutty

Nutty – Walnut, Hazelnut, and Almond

Oxidized

Oxidized – Sherry