Thin describes a wine that seems lacking in body, concentration, flavour or mid-palate presence. It may taste watery or short, with little fruit or texture. Thin is generally a critical descriptor, but it should not be confused with light-bodied: a delicate wine can be light and still have precision, flavour and balance.
Thinness may result from dilute grape material, high yields, poor fruit maturity, excessive acidification or a wine that has lost fruit through age or poor storage. The cause cannot be identified from the tasting term alone.
Example: a wine with faint fruit, little palate weight and a short finish may be described as thin, whereas a well-made Muscadet can be light-bodied but still vivid and complete.
Related terms: light-bodied describes weight; dilute suggests low concentration; austere describes a firm or restrained impression.
This term is one of hundreds covered in depth across OCS courses, learning paths, and 1-on-1 coaching with Chef Eric.
