Light-Bodied Red Wine

Light-bodied red wines tend to have higher acidity and less

tannin. The colors range from a bright magenta to garnet. e.g.
Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Zweigelt and Gamay
Medium-Bodied Red Wine
Medium-bodied red wines tend to have medium levels of acidity
and tannin. This range of wines is diverse and includes Merlot,
Sangiovese and Zinfandel. Discover more types of wine.
Full-Bodied Red Wine
Full-bodied red wines tend to have high tannin and often
slightly lower acidity. These wines are highly extracted and
opaque. e.g. Syrah, Malbec, Mourvedre and Cabernet
Sauvignon
Old Red Wine
When a red wine is far past its prime it will be a dull brown
color. Many wines will last 20 years or more without showing
much color change. Merlot and Nebbiolo stain orange earlier
than other types of wine.
Ros Wine
Ros wines are made with regular red grapes such as
Mourvedre, but the grape skins arent exposed to the juice for as
long. The result is a much more pale red wine. Depending on the
variety used, a ros can range from pale salmon (Pinot Noir) to
magenta (Garnacha).
Light-Bodied White Wine
A light-bodied white wine can range from clear to a pale
yellow-green hue. Most of this style of wine is meant to be

enjoyed young and ice-cold. e.g. Pinot Grigio, Albarino, Vinho

Verde, Muscadet
Medium-Bodied White Wine
The majority of white wines fall into the medium-bodied
category with a pale yellow-gold hue. e.g. Sauvignon Blanc,
Unoaked Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc,
Full-Bodied White Wine
A color of white wine that can be produced either by a free-run
red wine such as White Pinot Noir or a highly extracted white
wine. Often these wines have less acidity and use oak aging to
add creaminess and vanilla aromas. e.g. Chardonnay, Viognier,
Marssanne,
Old White Wine
Very few white wines are made to last for more than a couple of
years. Old white wines lose their sheen and become increasingly
more dull over time. Because of light-sensitivity, white wines
will become more orange over time.

The Basic Types of Wine

Five Main Styles of Wine
All wines can be organized into five fundamental groups.
Within each group there are hundreds of different grape
varieties and also different winemaking styles.
Red Wine
Still wine made with black grapes. These can range from light to
dark and bone-dry to sweet.
White Wine
A still wine produced from green and sometimes black grapes.
Flavors span from rich and creamy to light and zesty.
Ros Wine
Still wine from black grapes produced by removing the skins
before they deeply color the wine. Also formed by blending red
and white wine together. Both dry and sweet styles of ros are
common.
Sparkling Wine
A style of winemaking involving a secondary fermetation
causing bubbles! Sparkling wine can be red, white or ros and
can range from minerally to rich and sweet.
Fortified Wine
A style of winemaking involving fortifying wine with spirits.
Typically a dessert wine, but many dry-style fortified wines
exist such as dry Sherry.

Level of Sweetness
Within the five main styles of wine are different levels of
sweetness. This is a winemaking style as most wines can be
produced from Dry to Sweet.
Dry

A dry wine is produced when all of the grape sugars are

fermented into alcohol. Some dry wines may have a touch of RS

to add body but not sweetness.
Semi-Sweet

(aka Off Dry) A semi-sweet wine leaves a touch of the sugars in

a wine usually to complement acidity and/or aromatics in wine.
Riesling is typically Off-Dry.
Sweet

A sweet wine leaves a lot of the sugars in a wine unfermented.

Sweet wines are typically lower alcohol if they are not fortified.
(ex Moscato dAsti 5.5% ABV)

Learning Wine by Flavor

There are thousands of different varietals, regions and types of
wine. Because of the diversity its easier to start classifying
wine by the way it tastes. Wine sommeliers identify wines
through primary fruit flavors. You can too! Learn how to taste
wine like a pro to identify the basic characteristics of wine.
These two techniques will build your wine memory.

How The Infographic Works

Wines are separated by style, primary flavor and sometimes
even an additional grouping of High Tannin, Round or Spicy.
Here are definitions of the terms:

High Tannin

Wines with high tannin feel like they dry out your mouth. The
sensation is similar to licking a popsicle stick or putting a wet
tea bag in your mouth.
Round

Round wines tend to have less tannin and balanced acidity on

the finish. People often describe the sensation as Smooth or
Lush when using wine descriptions.

Spicy

Spicy wines tend to have higher acidity or higher alcohol.

Imagine the tartness of cranberry juice versus the smoothness of
peach juice.