A few blog posts back, we challenged you to think about what type of wine taster you are. We all taste wines differently – there are non-tasters, average tasters, and even super-tasters among us! The kind of wine taster you are will influence which kinds of wines you enjoy, and that’s what we’re exploring this week. Keep scrolling to learn about five main wine flavour profiles we’ve picked out to explore in this post.

You’ve probably heard of or tasted “big red” wines – generous on tannins, full-bodied, bold and often paired with fatty red meats like steak. Big whites are probably more off-radar, but equally flavoursome. Is your glass of white aromatic, full of character and off-dry (just slightly sweet)? Then you’re probably enjoying a big white!

You could argue that big wines’ opposite number are fruity ones. Easy drinking with smooth edges and mellow flavours, fruity whites ring of orchard harvests. Juicy reds – think Beaujolais – are equally fruity, light to taste and lack the bold oak flavours and tannins that can be found in their heavier red cousins. Wine drinkers with a higher-than-average number of taste buds or “super tasters” are often fond of these wines as they tend away from bitterness.

Do you like a healthy dose of flavour and a refreshing sensation in your glass of white? You could be a fan of fresh fruity whites. These wines are medium-bodied and laced with zesty, citrusy aromas. Perfect for warm summer evenings, these dry-leaning wines are zingy with a refreshingly crispy kick to them.

Some of us prefer whites, others swear by reds. There are lots of complex flavours to be discovered in herby red wines – think structured, subtle, and less overtly bold but by no means less intellectual than big reds. In fact, a lot of these wines are so challenging they often call for food to accompany them. They’re for mulling over, thinking about and enjoying each sip to the fullest.

The final flavour profile is smooth with soft tannins, comforting and round. The whites are peachy with a tinge of butterscotch oak and absolutely delicious, like a well-balanced Chardonnay. The reds are rich and chocolatey, but with subtle notes of berry to balance out the palate – such as a nice and rounded Rioja. These medium-bodied wines typically hail from sunny climates that produce rich, juicy grapes.

Curious to find out which wine flavour profile is right for you? Head over to our interactive Wine Flavour Tree quiz created in collaboration with Master of Wine Sam Caporn. Take a few moments to be guided through a set of multiple-choice questions that will put you on the right path to buying and drinking the best wines for your taste buds.