Understanding the Five Basic Characteristics of Wine

Very accomplished oenophiles are able to determine a wine’s grape and region from a single taste, and indeed sometimes just a smell, but you needn’t have such a skilled palate to determine your own unique preferences. A simple understanding of wine’s five fundamental characteristics will set you in good standing for a lifetime of tasting enjoyment.

Wine can often feel daunting, full of terminology, rituals, and centuries of tradition, but at its heart, it’s simply fermented grape juice with infinite expressions. These five characteristics – sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol, and body – are the building blocks that shape every bottle, whether it’s an everyday table wine or a legendary vintage.

Learn to recognise them and you’ll not only improve your ability to describe what’s in your glass, but you’ll also uncover why certain wines make your taste buds sing while others leave you underwhelmed.

Sweetness

This refers to the level of residual sugar left in the wine after its creation. A sweet wine will have a higher level of residual sugar, while a dry wine will have had all of its sugars converted to alcohol during fermentation.

Often, our very first perception of a wine will be its sweetness, and while everyone’s sensitivity to it is different, you’ll experience it first on the very tip of your tongue. A slight tingling sensation is a good indicator of sweetness. Sweet wines tend to have a higher viscosity, which means they’ll cling to the glass for longer.

Where does sweetness come from? The answer lies in fermentation. Yeast consumes the sugars in grape juice and transforms them into alcohol. If the winemaker stops fermentation before all the sugar is converted, you get sweeter wines such as Sauternes or German Riesling. Leave fermentation to run its full course and you’ll have a bone-dry Chablis.

Historically, sweet wines were once the pinnacle of luxury. In the 18th and 19th centuries, European courts clamoured for Tokaji from Hungary and Château d’Yquem from Bordeaux. Today, fashions have shifted, and many drinkers favour drier styles, though sweet wines remain prized for their complexity and longevity.

Acidity

Often confused with a high concentration of alcohol, a wine’s acidity is what gives it sharpness. High-acidity wines are often tart and zesty, and may feel lighter-bodied as they come across as ‘spritzy’. A ‘well-balanced’ wine is so called as it has acidity, sweetness, and tannin in perfect harmony.

How can you identify acidity? You’ll feel a tingling sensation on the sides of your tongue, which may feel rough if you rub it along the roof of your mouth. Your mouth will also feel extra wet, and you might even find yourself ‘gleeking’, that unexpected spray of saliva your tongue launches when acidity really sets your taste buds tingling.

Acidity comes from the grape itself and the climate where it is grown. Cooler regions, such as Champagne or the Mosel Valley, naturally produce grapes with higher acidity, giving wines a refreshing bite. Warmer regions such as California’s Napa Valley tend towards softer acidity as grapes ripen more fully.

Trends around acidity have ebbed and flowed. For centuries, acidity was prized as the backbone of wine, essential for ageing and freshness. Yet in the 1980s and 90s, some New World producers pushed for riper, fruitier styles with lower acidity, catering to a preference for plush, approachable wines. Today, there’s a renewed appreciation for bright acidity, as drinkers return to wines that pair elegantly with food. Think Sauvignon Blanc with goat’s cheese or a zippy Albariño alongside fresh seafood.

Tannin

A wine high in tannin is often mistakenly labelled as a dry wine because tannin has a drying effect on the mouth. Frequently described as astringent, tannin is the presence of phenolic compounds that add bitterness to a wine. Despite these characteristics, though, tannin adds balance and structure, and helps wine last longer. A lot of research suggests the tannin in red wine is good for your health, too.

It’s usually quickly apparent if a wine has high tannin levels, as it will make your tongue feel dry and can leave a lingering bitter feeling in your mouth. A high-tannin red wine is a great accompaniment to red meat, as the tannins help break down meat proteins, thereby enhancing their flavour profile even further.

Tannin primarily comes from grape skins, seeds, and stems, as well as from oak barrels during the ageing process. The thicker the grape skin, the more tannin potential, hence why Cabernet Sauvignon is more tannic than Pinot Noir.

Historically, high-tannin wines were admired for their ability to age. Bordeaux, Barolo, and other great reds often need decades to soften before reaching their peak. In the modern era, some drinkers have leaned towards softer, earlier-drinking reds, but classic, structured wines remain highly valued. For example, compare the silky tannins of a mature Rioja Gran Reserva with the firm grip of a young Nebbiolo, both tannic, but vastly different in expression.

Alcohol

Wine alcohol percentage levels will have the biggest impact on a wine’s character, body, and classification. While the average wine contains around 11%–13% alcohol by volume (ABV), it’s not uncommon for wines to have as little as 5.5%, or as much as 20%.

Everyone tastes alcohol differently. Bitter, sweet, spicy, oily, and sometimes all at once, a lot of our perception of alcohol is actually influenced by genetics. Higher alcohol wines tend to taste bolder and oilier, while lower-alcohol wines feel lighter. It’s almost universally agreed, however, that alcohol wields a warming sensation at the back of the mouth and throat.

Alcohol is directly tied to sugar levels in the grape at harvest. The riper the grape, the more sugar and the more potential alcohol after fermentation. This is why hot regions like Australia’s Barossa Valley can produce Shiraz at 15% ABV, while cooler German vineyards give you delicate Kabinett Rieslings at under 9%.

Over the years, alcohol levels have mirrored global tastes. In the late 20th century, a wave of powerful, high-alcohol wines won critical acclaim, with “big reds” from California and Australia dominating the market. More recently, there has been a counter-trend towards lighter, lower-alcohol wines, with consumers seeking fresher styles that allow for a second glass without feeling the effects.

Low and no-alcohol wines have also surged in popularity, particularly in the past decade. These wines are typically made by either stopping fermentation early to reduce the alcohol content or by removing alcohol after fermentation through processes such as vacuum distillation or reverse osmosis. While once dismissed as lacklustre imitations, winemaking technology has improved dramatically, producing bottles that retain flavour, aroma and even structure. For drinkers who want the social ritual of wine without the after-effects, this is a trend that looks set to stay.

Body

Body is the result of many factors, from variety and vintage to alcohol level and region, so it’s something of a generalised term. To simplify matters, it can help to think of a wine’s body like milk, with skimmed milk representing a light wine, and cream representing a full-bodied wine. As a rough rule of thumb, if a wine’s taste lingers in your mouth for more than 30 seconds, it’s almost certainly a full-bodied wine.

This classification plays a major role in food pairing: light-bodied wines suit lighter dishes, while rich dishes such as steak call for a full-bodied wine with strong flavours that will hold up against the meat’s bold aromas.

The body is shaped by a mix of alcohol, tannin, residual sugar, and even winemaking techniques. For instance, oak ageing can add weight, while malolactic fermentation (the process that softens tart malic acid into creamy lactic acid) can make a Chardonnay feel fuller. Climate also plays a role; a cool-climate Pinot Noir from Burgundy will feel featherlight compared with a sun-soaked Shiraz from McLaren Vale.

As for trends, the body has had its fashions too. The 1990s saw a surge in love for powerful, full-bodied wines, sometimes described as “blockbusters.” Today, there is an equal appreciation for elegant, lighter styles, which many find more versatile with food. Both, however, have their devoted fans, which is part of the fun. There’s a wine body for every mood and occasion.

Bringing it all together

Understanding sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol, and body won’t make you an instant sommelier, but it will give you the language and awareness to navigate wine with confidence. Whether you’re sipping a delicate Muscadet by the sea or swirling a brooding Napa Cabernet, recognising these five traits adds an extra layer of enjoyment.

And remember, wine appreciation isn’t about chasing scores or memorising technical details, it’s about discovering what makes you happy in a glass. Some people adore racy acidity, others melt for velvety tannins. The key is to taste widely, keep an open mind, and never be afraid to express your true preferences. After all, the greatest wine in the world is the one that makes you smile when you drink it.