Funny wine descriptions

Along with the more conventional descriptions there are also some weird and unusual ways to describe some of the aromas you might smell wafting from your wine glass. Here’s just a few of you might come across.

What are some funny wine descriptions you may have heard?

Cat’s pee: Sauvignon Blanc lovers might be familiar with this one. It’s particularly apparent in cool climate examples and it’s not a negative description, so don’t let it put you off your next glass of Savvy.

Kerosene: This can be found in aged Rieslings and comes from the compound 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihyronaphthalene (TDN). Whether it’s a desirable trait or not comes down to personal taste.

Wet stone: Take a whiff of Semillon, Riesling or Chardonnay and you might pick up this character. It describes minerality and is a savoury term, so it means you’re sniffing a great food matching wine.

Funny wine descriptions such as cats pee, kerosene and wet stone!

Sea spray: If your Chardonnay is transporting your senses to the beach, you’ve scored yourself a complex, well-made expression of the variety.

Baked bread: There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread, even if it is coming from your glass of Sparkling wine. It’s a sign of secondary fermentation so it’s desirable in Sparkling and Chardonnay but watch out if you smell it in other wines because it could be a fault.

Struck match: While sulphur dioxide is a common wine additive, if you can smell struck match, the sulphur dioxide has been poorly handled. This fault can also be described as burnt rubber or mothballs.

Funny wine descriptions such as sea spray, baked bread and struck match!

Sweaty saddle: Brettanomyces, or Brett, is a type of yeast that can, when used at low levels, can add positive attributes to a wine. However, the perception of excessive levels is a fault.

Horsehair: Continuing the horsy theme, this is another description of Brett.

Tractor shed: More precisely, the oil on the dirt that’s leaked from a tractor – another Brett descriptor.

Mousy: Another term to describe a fault, this time from bacteria, mousy is interesting because it’s an aroma that only certain people can pick up. So, if you can pick up a scent of rodent, you’re one of the chosen few!