Soft, silky, elegant and balanced are all wine words found on the label of a bottle of smooth-tasting wine. Low levels of mouth-drying tannin or sharp-tasting acidity are required if you’re looking for a wine that won’t make your mouth pucker.
Red, white and rosé wines can all taste smooth but you’ll need a few wine-buying tips to make sure you get the ones you’re after.
White wines, like Sauvignon Blanc or French Champagne, often describe themselves as being zesty, or fresh with citrus flavours. There’s even a chance you’ll meet minerality. Avoid these.
Look for sweeter tasting whites made in warm climates where the grapes have a better chance of ripening fully and so taste rounder and medium-bodied. South African white wines made with the Chenin Blanc grape variety taste like this and you’ll find these wine words on the back label description. White wines made with the Chardonnay grape can also taste buttery due to being kept in an oak barrel – so look for French whites from the region of Burgundy.
Darker coloured rosé wines often taste sweeter and smoother and have a bottle label instruction to serve them well-chilled – so look for this an avoid the fashionable ultra pale rosés from the southern French region of Provence that have lemon acidity.
It’s the red wines that contain tannin and high levels feel unpleasant when you drink it – it will dry your mouth and gums. Red wines from the French region of Bordeaux can taste like this as well as wines made in Argentina. Their back label descriptions will use terms like robust, firm tannins, woody or flavours of hedgerow fruits. Avoid these.
Look for red wines that are chocolatey and velvety like those from the warmer grape growing areas of Languedoc in southern France, Australia or California.
So, it’s all about reading the back label on the wine bottle if you want to avoid wines that’ll make your mouth pucker.
Or you could come along to the next online wine tasting event on Thursday 10th February 2022 on Smooth tasting wines. Booking essential.
Can't make that? Then don't worry there are even more online monthly wine tasting events.
Wineuncorked.co.uk recommends
Homelands South African Chenin Blanc 2020
£9.99 Aldi
Creamy pear and pineapple flavours.
Reserve de Millenaire Grand Cuvee Bourgogne 2019
£10.99 Virgin Wines
The light apple and lemon flavours have a creamy melon finish.
£4.99 Aldi
A lovely low alcohol sweet rosé with mandarin orange flavours.
Oliver & Greg’s Californian Zinfandel Rosé
£6.23 Battlefield Wines
An easy to like medium-sweet rosé with aromas of raspberry ripple sauce and light strawberry flavours.
SPAR The Letter Collection M Malbec 2019
£5.49 SPAR
This French Malbec is an easy drinking and smooth red wine with cherry, cinnamon and dark chocolate flavours.
£7 Tesco
Sweet and fruity flavours with a chocolatey backdrop and extra barley sugar flavours.
Carius Cairanne 2018 Cru des Cotes du Rhone Grandes Series
£10 Co-op
There’s the expected flavours of toffee, toast and blackberry but it’s all quite light and smooth.
£11.95 The Wine Society
This Californian red tastes of cherry and milk chocolate.
