The Wine Tasting Wheel, Explained

The four structure categories

Structure is the wine's skeleton — how it feels, not what it tastes of.

• Sweetness — bone dry, dry, off-dry, medium, sweet, dessert.
• Acidity — low to high. Acidity is the freshness that makes your mouth water and makes wine work with food.
• Tannin — the drying grip you feel on your gums in reds. Soft, medium, grippy, firm.
• Body — light, medium or full. Think the weight of skim milk versus cream.

The eight flavour families

Flavours are easier when you go family-first, then narrow down:

• Citrus / green — lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple, pear, gooseberry.
• Stone / tropical — peach, apricot, pineapple, mango, melon, lychee.
• Red fruit — cherry, strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, red plum, pomegranate.
• Black fruit — blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, black cherry, damson, fig.
• Floral / herbal — rose, violet, elderflower, mint, bell pepper, eucalyptus.
• Spice — black pepper, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, liquorice, ginger.
• Oak / toast — vanilla, toast, smoke, cedar, coconut, coffee. These come from the barrel, not the grape.
• Earth / age — mushroom, leather, tobacco, forest floor, wet stone, game. These develop with age.

How to actually use it

You don't need every descriptor. Pick the family first ("this is red fruit"), then choose one or two specifics if they jump out ("…cherry and a bit of cranberry"). Over a few dozen wines, the families start to come automatically — and you'll notice patterns in what you like (high acid? grippy tannin? lots of oak?).

Logging this every time is what builds the skill. Pattern recognition only kicks in once you have a record to look back on.