Mouthfeel

Mouthfeel describes the physical sensations a wine creates in the mouth, including weight, texture, smoothness, dryness, creaminess, grip and warmth. It is separate from aroma and flavour, although the overall impression of a wine combines all three. Mouthfeel is influenced by alcohol, acidity, tannin, residual sugar, dissolved carbon dioxide, glycerol, extract and winemaking choices.

Common mouthfeel descriptors

• Silky: smooth, fine-textured and often associated with well-integrated tannins.
• Creamy: rounded and soft, sometimes associated with lees ageing or malolactic fermentation.
• Oily or viscous: a fuller, sometimes coating texture.
• Grippy: a drying or tactile sensation, often caused by tannin.
• Chalky: a powdery or fine-grained tactile impression.
• Angular: a wine in which acidity or tannin feels pronounced and less integrated.
• Prickly: a slight tingling sensation, often from dissolved carbon dioxide.

What affects mouthfeel?

Alcohol can create warmth and weight, acidity can make a wine feel lean or firm, and tannin can create grip. Residual sugar and glycerol can contribute to a fuller or softer impression. Lees ageing, oak, fermentation and bottle development can also affect texture.

Example: a lees-aged Chardonnay may feel creamy, a young Barolo grippy, and a lightly sparkling wine slightly prickly.

Chef’s note: mouthfeel is a sensory description, not a direct measurement of one chemical component. Use precise terms to explain what the wine feels like rather than relying on vague words such as “smooth.”