Free toolThe structure chart

The backbone of every bottle, measured.

Free interactive chart of tannin, acidity, body and sweetness for 30+ wine styles. Sort by structure, filter by colour, and find what to try next. No signup.

Bars run 0 to 5 and are textbook-typical for the style. Open a wine for its full profile and a next-bottle suggestion.

Beaujolais (Gamay) Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 1 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Valpolicella, or Pinot Noir served cool.

Pinot Noir Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 2 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Gamay when you want lighter, Nebbiolo when you want grip.

Valpolicella Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 2 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Beaujolais or Barbera.

Barbera Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 2 / 5
Acidity 5 / 5
Body 3 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Chianti, which adds tannin to the same acidity.

Dolcetto Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 3 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 3 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Barbera or Valpolicella.

Grenache Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 2 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Zinfandel or a southern Rhône blend.

Merlot Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 3 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Malbec or right-bank Bordeaux.

Zinfandel Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 3 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Grenache, or Primitivo, its Italian twin.

Malbec Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 3 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Shiraz or Merlot.

Rioja (Tempranillo) Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 3 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Chianti or a Douro red.

Chianti (Sangiovese) Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 4 / 5
Acidity 5 / 5
Body 3 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Barbera or Rioja.

Syrah / Shiraz Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 4 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 5 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Malbec or Mourvèdre.

Mourvèdre Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 4 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 5 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Syrah or a Bandol blend.

Cabernet Sauvignon Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 5 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 5 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Tannat or a Bordeaux blend.

Nebbiolo (Barolo) Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 5 / 5
Acidity 5 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Aged Chianti Riserva or Xinomavro.

Petite Sirah Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 5 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 5 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Tannat or a ripe Shiraz.

Tannat Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 5 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 5 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Petite Sirah or young Nebbiolo.

Pinot Grigio Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Albariño or unoaked Chardonnay.

Sauvignon Blanc Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 5 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Dry Riesling or Albariño.

Albariño Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Sauvignon Blanc or Picpoul.

Dry Riesling Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 5 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Chenin Blanc or Grüner Veltliner.

Chenin Blanc Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 5 / 5
Body 3 / 5
Sweetness 2 / 5

If you like this, try Dry Riesling or Vouvray.

Unoaked Chardonnay Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 3 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Chablis is the benchmark; Albariño sits close.

Oaked Chardonnay Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Viognier or white Rioja.

Viognier Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 2 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Oaked Chardonnay or Marsanne.

Gewürztraminer Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 2 / 5
Body 4 / 5
Sweetness 2 / 5

If you like this, try Viognier or off-dry Pinot Gris.

Champagne Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 5 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try English sparkling or a Crémant.

Prosecco Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 2 / 5

If you like this, try Champagne when you want drier, finer bubbles.

Dry rosé Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 1 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Provence pink or a chilled Valpolicella.

Fino Sherry Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 0 / 5
Acidity 4 / 5
Body 2 / 5
Sweetness 1 / 5

If you like this, try Manzanilla or bone-dry Albariño.

Vintage Port Tannin Acidity Body Sweetness
Tannin 5 / 5
Acidity 3 / 5
Body 5 / 5
Sweetness 5 / 5

If you like this, try LBV Port for weeknights, Banyuls with chocolate.

Producers, vintages and winemaking all move a style around; treat the scores as the centre of the target, not gospel.

Taste the structure for yourself

Sommo's structured tasting notes walk you through tannin, acidity and body glass by glass, then score your read against the wine's actual profile.

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The three measures that matter

Strip away the poetry and most of what a wine feels like comes down to three measurable things. Tannin is the drying grip from skins, seeds and oak, the sensation that makes your gums feel like they have been lightly sanded after a young Nebbiolo. Acidity is the mouth-watering freshness that has you salivating after a sip of Sauvignon Blanc. Body is sheer weight in the mouth, driven mostly by alcohol: the difference between skimmed milk and whole milk, poured from a wine bottle. The chart above scores 31 classic styles on all three, plus sweetness, using textbook-typical values; the glossary entry on tannins goes deeper on the chemistry.

How to taste each one

They separate cleanly once you know where to look. For tannin, wait until after you swallow and drag your tongue across your gums: the rougher and drier they feel, the higher the tannin. For acidity, tip your head forward slightly and notice how much saliva pools; high-acid wines set your mouth streaming. For body, ignore flavour entirely and ask only how heavy the liquid feels. Sweetness announces itself on the tip of the tongue first, which is why it gets a whole sweetness chart of its own. This order of operations, sight, nose, then palate attribute by attribute, is exactly the drill on the WSET Level 2 tasting sheet if you want the formal version.

Using structure to find new wines

Structure, not flavour, is the reliable way to branch out. If you love Malbec, the chart shows Shiraz and Mourvèdre sitting on almost identical scores, which is why they feel like cousins even though the fruit differs. If big reds feel harsh, sort by tannin, start at the bottom, and work upwards through Gamay, Valpolicella and Pinot Noir; there is a full guide to low-tannin red wines for that journey. And if a wine you disliked was ever described as flabby or aggressive, the fault was almost certainly a structure mismatch rather than the grape itself. Open any wine above, note the two or three scores that define it, and the suggestion line will hand you the next bottle.

Frequently asked.

01.
What are tannins in wine?
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Tannins are natural compounds from grape skins, seeds, stems and oak barrels that create a drying, grippy feeling on your gums and cheeks. They are a texture, not a taste, and they are why a young Barolo feels austere while a Gamay feels silky.
02.
Which red wine has the least tannin?
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Beaujolais (Gamay) is the classic low-tannin red, with Valpolicella, Pinot Noir and Barbera close behind. All are light on grip while keeping plenty of flavour, which makes them the usual answer for anyone who finds big reds harsh.
03.
What does full-bodied mean in wine?
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Body is the weight of the wine in your mouth, closer to skimmed milk at one end and whole milk at the other. Alcohol is the main driver, helped by extract, oak and sugar, so a 14.5% Napa Cabernet feels full while an 11.5% Riesling feels light.
04.
Is acidity in wine a good thing?
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Essential. Acidity is what makes your mouth water after a sip; it keeps whites refreshing, balances sweetness in dessert wines, and carries food pairings. A wine with too little acidity tastes flabby and tired, whatever it cost.
05.
Does high tannin mean a wine is dry?
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No, and the confusion is understandable because tannin physically dries your mouth. Dry is the opposite of sweet and describes sugar, not texture. Vintage Port proves the point: ferociously tannic and properly sweet at the same time.
Take it further

Learn the structure, then taste it.

Sommo's structured tasting notes walk you through tannin, acidity and body one glass at a time, and its AI scores your read against the wine's real profile.