[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/TheDropsOfGod https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kami-no-shizuku-edited_1416.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Yes, ripening.]]
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->''"Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine."''
-->-- '''Fran Lebowitz'''

''(Note that the first word in the trope name is pronounced "som-uh-lyeh.")''

In fiction and satire, if someone is called upon to describe the flavor, scent and color of a wine, they will begin speaking in a kind of pretentious PurpleProse which may include any of the following:
* [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness Sesquipedalianly loquacious]] gushing or ranting, often with name-dropping of European grape varieties such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Merlot, and Zinfandel and showing off knowledge of famous vintages ("it has a nose like a 1999 Lafite-Rothschild").
* They may describe their lengthy and complex tasting procedure, which involves swirling the glass, sniffing it, holding it up to the light, and sipping it delicately.
* Elaborate, perhaps mixed, metaphors, sometimes even incorporating FauxSymbolism to give more gravitas to the wine tasting.
* Claiming to be able to discern specific variables affecting the grapes that made the wine just from a taste, including: wind, shade, rain, drainage, soil type, soil acidity, mold, and insect activity in the growing season.
* Personification of the wine, ascribing to it personality traits, poetically-described moods, and even moral agency.
* TastesLikeFeet, except not necessarily negative: even an admirable wine may be compared to metal, tobacco, pee, gasoline, or the like.
* [[ReviewerStockPhrases Stock phrases]], "A good year" being especially common.
* Using the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_bottle traditional names for sizes of wine bottles]] derived from the names of figures from Literature/TheBible: e.g. a "Methuselah" for a 6-liter bottle, a "Nebuchadnezzar" for a 15-liter, and a "Melchizedek" for a 30-liter.

A variant combines this with IAteWhat -- another substance is mistaken for, or passed off as, wine, and the unwitting drinker describes it in similar terms. And see also ExpensiveGlassOfCrap.

Partial TruthInTelevision, as detailed in [[http://www.slate.com/articles/life/drink/2007/06/cherries_berries_asphalt_and_jam.html this article.]] Wine ''is'' complex (often several flavour notes will be in the same one, and the combinations can sound discordant, like black cherry/pepper/tobacco) and volatile (the lingering taste in the drinker's mouth, called the "finish," can be different than the initial sensations), and chemical analysis of wine shows that the descriptors fairly consistently refer to the same flavor/aroma compounds. It is also important to note that the terms used to describe wine flavors, like "black cherry" or "plum," do not necessarily mean that the wine tastes like those things -- rather, these are agreed-upon terms for specific but hard-to-articulate flavors; Website/TheOtherWiki has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_tasting_descriptors a glossary.]] This is not helped by the fact that some people's palates detect tannins more strongly than others, which can result in all alcoholic beverages just tasting of tannins and alcohol, no matter how a sommelier might describe it.

Basically, wine critics are wrestling with the same problem as the makers of [[PerfumeCommercial perfume commercials]], i.e. attempting to describe the characteristics of something in a medium ill-suited for the job. (See also ItTastesLikeFeet for the EvilTwin to this.) Not surprisingly, the end results are similar.

While most commonly seen with wine (because WineIsClassy), the terminology is used for other drinks (including tea, coffee, beer, spirits, and cocktails), with variations.[[note]]For instance, even amateur spirit/cocktail tasters frequently reference "rum funk," a sort of overripe-banana-plus-fermenting-vegetation note that appears mostly in aged and cane-juice rums (particularly ones from the English-speaking Caribbean and most especially from UsefulNotes/{{Jamaica}} and UsefulNotes/{{Barbados}}) but can also show up in whisk(e)y and brandy, but a typical wine sommelier won't have a clue what you mean because that note is very rare in wine.[[/note]] Similar to HashHouseLingo, which also involves a particular jargon for culinary concepts.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Advertising]]
* There was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr5CIkVl6T4 an advert]] for Gordon's Gin in the UK where a very pretentious guy at a garden party was going on about a glass of wine having aromas of things like wood pigeon and pebbles in the rain and being mocked by two nearby gin and tonic drinkers.
* A commercial plays on this, with an older Italian man and his assistant tapping a cask. The man holds the glass up to the light, "Muddy." He takes a sniff, "Pungent." He takes a sip and immediately spits it out, "Sour." Then he smiles and says, "It's perfect." [[TheReveal The narrator then lets the audience know]] this is a commercial for balsamic vinegar. (Yes, they do do this. The standards for ''aceto balsamico tradizionale''--the Real Thing when it comes to balsamic vinegar--are extremely exacting, and even the higher-end stuff among the non-''tradizionale'' is treated with care and tasted for grading purposes before distribution.)
* Bud Light had a commercial where snooty mead connoisseurs keep telling the king how he's supposed to enjoy the mead they brought without ever allowing him to actually taste it. Eventually the king gets sick of it, tosses the snobs in the dungeon, and orders a beer.
* An old commercial for an online bank featured a guy trying this, only he's a KnowNothingKnowItAll and claims that Pinot Noir means "peanut of the night."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/TheDropsOfGod'' is a manga about wine tasting and serving that is memetic for [[http://www.lurkmore.com/wiki/Decantering trying too hard to make being a sommelier sound awesome,]] and naturally is drowning in this, with the protagonist having LSD-like visions from the wine flavors. He is on a quest to find twelve wines that are described by comparing their flavors to Jesus' apostles.
* Subverted in ''Manga/OnePiece'' where Marine Lieutenant Fullbody has a restaurant deliver a specific kind of wine to him and his date so he can impress her by pretending to identify it in this manner. Unfortunately for him, his waiter happens to be Sanji, who gives him a completely different wine instead and causes him to humiliate himself.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite'': This is how Cilan talks about Pokémon in general. That's because he ''is'' a "Pokémon Sommelier" (or, in the dub, "Pokémon Connoisseur").
* One scene in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' has a vampire use such speech to describe and then identify the blood type of a man he just killed, with one of his colleagues confirming his assessment by reading the body's dog tags.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* "The Real Ale Twats" from ''ComicBook/{{Viz}}'' will often describe beer as "redolent" of something bizarre, its (usually high) abv as 'feisty' or 'formidable', and it will invariably remind them of something they tried years before at a beer festival, and the specific odd behavior resulting from overindulging on it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* A classic Creator/JamesThurber cartoon from ''Magazine/TheNewYorker'': "It's a naive domestic Burgundy without any breeding, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption."
* In one ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strip, when Charlie Brown is going out to buy Sally an ice cream cone, she asks for chocolate and vanilla, with chocolate on the top.
-->'''Charlie Brown''': What difference does that make?\\
'''Sally''': It makes all the difference in the world. If the vanilla is on the bottom it leaves a better aftertaste.\\
'''Charlie Brown''': LittleDidIKnow that in our own home we had a connoisseur of ice-cream cones.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', when Esmerelda [[HealItWithBooze uses wine as an antiseptic]], and Phoebus identifies the vintage by ''the way it stings in his wound''.
--> '''Phoebus:''' Agh! Feels like a 1470 Burgundy. Not a good year.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'', the citizens of Cheesebridge speak this way in regards to fine cheese.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBatmanVsDracula'', the Joker pauses in his blood drinking to admire the flavour:
--> A bold finish of wild cherries with a hint of oak.
* Schmendrick gets in on this in ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'' while trying to fool a skeleton into thinking he can turn water into wine.
--> '''Schmendrick:''' (''having drunk the quote-unquote ‘wine’'') Mff… didn’t work. It’s weak at best. (''makes a show of sniffing the neck of the bottle'') No nose, no body, hardly any bouquet at all…
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Miles, the protagonist of the film ''Film/{{Sideways}}'', is a wine enthusiast who often uses metaphors like these.
* The French movie ''Film/TheWingOrTheThigh'' uses this when the main character has been challenged to prove his culinary expertise by identifying a wine on TV. Unbeknownst to the audience (but not to the bad guy), he has lost his sense of taste and must rely on other descriptors like color, transparency, and viscosity to pull it off, spouting all the usual phrases.
* Ralphie in ''Film/AChristmasStory'' is the kind of boy who regularly gets [[SoapPunishment his mouth washed out with soap]], and briefly talks like this when describing how a specific brand tastes.
-->"Over the years, I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap. My personal preference was for Lux, but I found Palmolive had a nice, piquant after-dinner flavor; heady, but with just a touch of mellow smoothness. ''Lifebuoy'', on the other hand..."
* The Sommelier in ''Film/JohnWickChapter2'' describes the guns he sells exactly the same way he would describe wines.
-->"I know of your past fondness for the German varietals, but I can wholeheartedly endorse the new breed of Austrians: Glock 34 and 26."
* ''Film/TheNeverendingStory'': In the first scene in Fantasia, the Rock Biter describes [[EatDirtCheap limestone rocks]] the way wine is described.
-->'''Rock Biter:''' A delicious-looking limestone rock. Mmm! Mmm! Nice bouquet. Must be a real vintage year.
* ''Film/{{Spy}}'': In a scene where the protagonist Susan Cooper is dining at a fancy restaurant with the sophisticated crime boss Rayna Boyanova, Susan attempts to impress Rayna by asking for wine in a needlessly vague and flowery way that she thinks makes it seem like she's a big wine connoisseur, but it only causes Rayna and the waiter to look at each other in confusion.
* ''Film/TheParentTrap1998'': The twins' father owns a vineyard which means Hallie, who lives with him, has picked up a lot of wine-tasting lingo. While posing as Annie she asks for a sip of her mother's wine and almost blows the TwinSwitch by giving a thorough review of the taste and comparing it to other grapes. Hallie attempts to cover by claiming she picked up the knowledge while at summer camp.
* Parodied in ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'' when Gary King walks into the first of many bars on his crawl and expects the bartender to describe his drinks in this way, only for him to simply answer 'its beer'. One of the first signs things are wrong with the town in a much later bar is when a different bartender describes his alcohol using the exact same terms Gary suggested several hours earlier.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the Creator/RoaldDahl story [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste_(short_story) "Taste,"]] the villain does this as part of a drawn-out display of identifying a wine. Earlier in the story, it is noted that this is an idiosyncrasy of his:
-->... when discussing a wine, he had a curious, rather droll habit of referring to it as though it were a living being. "A prudent wine," he would say, "rather diffident and evasive, but quite prudent." Or, "A good-humoured wine, benevolent and cheerful -- slightly obscene, perhaps, but none the less good-humoured."
* Creator/DaveBarry has mocked this a few times. In particular, when he attended a sommelier competition (as described in [[http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/05/1795782/daze-of-wine-and-noses.html this column]]), he had this to say:
-->The people at my table, on the other hand, leaned more toward the slosh-and-sniff approach, where you don't so much drink the wine as you frown and make a thoughtful remark about it such as you might make about a job applicant ("I find it ambitious, but somewhat strident." Or: "It's lucid, yes, but almost Episcopalian in its predictability.") As it happened, I was sitting next to a French person named Mary, and I asked her if people in France carry on this way about wine. "No," she said, "they just drink it. They're more used to it."
* A Creator/DorothyLSayers short story "The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste" has three men all claiming to be Literature/LordPeterWimsey. Who is the real one is determined by a wine taste-off.
* Vlad Taltos slips into this as he's waxing poetical about Valabar's cuisine and wine selections in ''Literature/{{Dzur}}''.
* Averted in the ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' series with wine enthusist Masterharper Robinton. He tends to describe wines in terms of "Benden White" and "not Benden White." Though he can, through a single mouthful, identify the year of any given glass of wine, and sometimes what part of the vineyard the grapes came from.
* ''Literature/EarthlyPowers'' by Creator/AnthonyBurgess: The protagonist's boyfriend likes to party this sort of talk. "From the north end of the vineyard, where the diabetic tomcat pisses against the wall."
* ''Literature/TheStupidestAngel'' features a kid who likes parroting Sommelier Speak to flummox adults. Unfortunately the guy he learned it from doubled as SirSwearsALot, so flummoxed his parents a bit more than he bargained for when he called something a "tenacious little [CountryMatters] of a red".
* Hugely parodied in ''Literature/SylvieAndBruno'': When the ladies withdraw after dinner, a "pompous man" says that one can only discuss "trivial topics" such as art, literature, and politics with the ladies, but ''now'' they can talk about ''WINE''. The narrator quickly falls into a dream state, where he imagines them instead talking about different flavours of jam with the same seriousness. Upon waking, he reflects on how ridiculous such a thing would be in reality; discussing mere delicacies as if they were matters of life and death.
* ''Literature/StickDog'': Whenever Poo-Poo tastes something new in the books, he goes into great, sophisticated detail describing the taste to his friends.
* Bruce Feirstein skewers this behavior in his satirical book ''Real Men Don't Eat Quiche'':
-->"Real Men don't play games in restaurants; they don't sniff the cork and say things like 'It's a small, unpretentious, fruity red with ambitious overtones of Bordeaux' about a four-dollar bottle of Ripple."
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': ''Mrs Bradshaw's Guidebook to the Ankh-Morpork and Sto Plains Hygenic Railway'' includes a facsimile of the wine list at Scoffer's restaurant, which describes all the wines in slightly absurd terms, especially since some of them possibly aren't great wines (one is actually called Vin d'Gar and has "nuances of matches and pickled eggs"). Another is Sorbumme Creek, named after the Quirmian branch of the Fools' Guild, and has a "cherry nose".
* Parodied in ''The Cat Who Could Read Backwards'', the first book of ''Literature/TheCatWhoSeries''. Qwilleran visits the Press Club, sits down next to Arch Riker and Odd Bunsen, and being permanently on the wagon, orders what is described as his "usual tomato juice." Riker comments that he must be quite the connoisseur of it. In response, Qwilleran runs the glass under his nose, then replies "An unpretentious vintage. Nothing memorable, but it has a naive charm. Unfortunately, the bouquet is masked by the smoke from Mr. Bunsen's cigar. I would guess the tomatoes came from... from Northern Illinois. Obviously a tomato patch near an irrigation ditch, getting the morning sun from the east and the afternoon sun from the west. My palate tells me the tomatoes were picked early in the day--on a Tuesday or Wednesday--by a farmhand wearing a Band-Aid. The Mercurochrome comes through in the aftertaste."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/GoOn'': Ryan enjoys going to wine country and trolling the wine connoisseurs by picking a theme with which to discuss the wine. In the one episode we see it, he describes wine using the names of [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs dwarfs]].
* Also, note the sheer number of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episodes where Frasier and Niles talk wine -- the episodes where they are competing against each other in tasting competitions, for instance. In one episode Frasier prepares a lengthy review for a new segment of his radio show, going into specific detail about the vanilla taste of the wine in question, and asks his father if it's "too subtle".
-->'''Martin:''' No, it's not too subtle. Unless you want them to know what the hell you're talking about.\\
'''Frasier:''' Well, you don't think it's clear I enjoyed the wine?\\
'''Martin:''' I don't think it's clear you're talking about ''wine''.
* ''Series/OzAndJames'' pairs renowned wine critic Oz Clarke with car reviewer James May, the former attempting to teach the latter how to do this. The reluctant James often lampshades it by introducing and referring to Oz as Oz "Woody High-Notes" Clarke on this show and other series the two have done together...
* Speaking of which, ''Series/JamesMaysManLab'' had Oz attempt to assist [[ButtMonkey hapless researcher Rory]] into bluffing his way through a wine tasting using Sommelier Speak, via earpiece. While Rory (and Oz) guess all of the red wines correctly, they also fail to identify any of the white wines.
* In an infamous lost sketch from ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' a man brings his friend down to his wine cellar for a private tasting. After the visitor describes the various flavors and textures he notices, the man tells him it's "wee-wee." All the wine is wee-wee.
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}} II'': After sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, Blackadder returns to the Queen, who insists that he give her, Melchett, and Sir Walter Raleigh gifts from his trip or she'll chop his head off. Thinking quickly, he produces a bottle of [[spoiler:Baldrick's urine (the group had been forced to drink their own urine to keep from dying of thirst)]] for Melchett and Sir Walter. Sir Walter describes it having "plenty of nose" and Melchett says it smells "familiar."
* An episode of ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' is based around the premise that some rare wine has been [[ExpensiveGlassOfCrap expertly faked]] (that is, cheap wine has been carefully flavored by an expert so it tastes like rare vintages). This trope happens a lot (mostly played for laughs, although the actual experts get some respect).
* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': In the episode "Pool Party," Oscar mistakenly thinks Toby is a wine connoisseur. Toby tries to keep up the charade:
-->'''Oscar:''' What's compelling about this is the note of persimmon. Right?\\
'''Toby:''' Note? It's...a symphony.
* ''Series/BlackBooks'':
** In an episode where Bernard and Manny accidentally drink a ridiculously expensive bottle of wine belonging to a friend they're house-sitting for, Bernard consults the buyers' guide and takes an excessively literal approach to reproducing the flavors in a bottle of cheap plonk. For example, when the guide mentions "hints of oak", in go some twigs from the garden. In an epilogue, the finished product is presented as a gift to the Pope, [[spoiler:and it kills him.]]
** Dylan Moran, the star of ''Black Books'' himself, mercilessly mocks Sommelier Speak in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSMs77v2oNk this comedy routine]].
* On ''Series/HotelBabylon'', James has to take part in a wine-tasting competition but has no palate and knows nothing about wine (despite being the food and beverage manager of a five-star restaurant). Luckily for him, Ben knows plenty about wine and coaches him on how to speak about it in poetic terms.
* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': Tom takes most of the department to a sommelier competition in the "Flu Season 2" episode so he can recruit the winner for his new restaurant. [[NoIndoorVoice Craig]] joins the competition after revealing that he has a passion for wine tasting and [[DeadpanSnarker April]] joins to {{Troll}} the judges.
-->'''Craig:''' Pumpkin, undertones of lavender. Medium-plus body. It's mostly pumpkin. There's so much pumpkin, it's like a [[WesternAnimation/ItsTheGreatPumpkinCharlieBrown Charlie Brown Halloween]] special!\\
'''April''': I'm getting notes of dried robin's blood, old dirty cashews, and just a hint of a robot's bathwater.
* In an episode of ''Series/WhiteCollar'', beer-drinking StraightMan Peter is forced to go undercover as a wine lover and must produce some Sommelier Speak. High-class, [[WineIsClassy wine-loving]] Neal tries to cover for him, sure that it'll be a disaster... and then Peter plays his part perfectly, with excellent Sommelier Speak. (Turns out, Peter knows wine -- as well he should, given that his wife works in the wine-crazy art world -- he just isn't obsessed with it.)
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** In "Day of the Daleks", the [[TheDandy Third Doctor]] is staying in a BigFancyHouse and can't help but dip into the wine cellar:
-->''A touch [[DeadpanSnarker sardonic]] perhaps, but not [[SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers cynical]]. Yes, a most civilised wine. One after my own heart.''
** In the story "City of Death", the Doctor compares Paris to a wine, saying (eventually, and after Romana has completed the sentence for him repeatedly) that it has a bouquet, but you have to choose the right year -- and 1979 is "more of a table wine".
* PlayedForLaughs in Series/{{Taxi}}. [[FunnyForeigner Latka's]] cookie recipe uses coca leaves as an ingredient (apparently, it's not illegal where he's from). [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} "Reverend" Jim]] (a ''very'' deep fried survivor of the counterculture) walks up and inspects one of the cookies. He takes one sniff, detecting the "secret" ingredient. He crumbles a bit in his fingers, then snorts some of the crumbs. "Peru, I believe..." (takes a nibble) "''Southern'' Peru...'74, before the rains..." (chews and swallows a larger bite) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-c4cd_Lm-Q "Poignant, but not overbearing."]]
* In "A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White" from ''Joe Schmo 2'', the second season of ''Series/TheJoeSchmoShow'' (a parody reality show in which everyone except the chosen "schmoes" was an actor), the ''lack'' of this is PlayedForLaughs. The RealityTVShowMansion used for the season is situated on a vineyard, so naturally they want to have a wine tasting. However, as explained by Kevin Kirkpatrick, who played Bryce, they weren't allowed to be too specific about anything, leading the host to explain things like, "We'll start with a chardonnay. Now the chardonnay is named after the grape..."
-->'''Kevin''': It was all the basics of "Chianti." "Cabernet." They might as well have just said, "Here's red. And something very different from red is white."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Lampooned in "The Wine Song", written by Grant Baynham, and later covered by Martin Pearson and Mike Agranoff.
-->They waste their time describing what they ought to be imbibing, which is wine of course, although you'd never think it.\\
'Cos they use words like "Young but promising ". "Precocious," "Full of fun"; You'd have thought they were going to adopt the stuff, not drink it
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* From the ''Podcast/ThrillingAdventureHour'' episode "A Beyond Belief Valentines Day":
-->'''Frank Doyle:''' I seek a wine with structure -- and stability -- and backbone. Something brooding, but which won't tell me what's on its mind. A wine that's superior, haughty, withholding. I want a wine so fickle and baffling I'll wake up at three in the morning with my fingers already fumbling on the dial of my phone to ask it what I've done wrong. I want a wine that disapproves of me and every choice I've made. Bring me a wine that insults me to my face and makes me like it!\\
'''Maitre d':''' Ah! A [[FrenchJerk French]] wine, then.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': The 2nd Edition adventure "A Brutal Finish" features a famous annual wine festival. Player characters take hefty social penalties unless they can wield the local wine-tasting jargon, which ranges from real-world descriptors to obliquely insulting in-universe allusions.
-->''"Now that's a [[{{Uberwald}} Mousillon]] vintage."'' Revolting and likely to cause plague.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum'' (a comedy set during the Roman Empire), when Marcus Lycus offers Pseudolus some wine, Pseudolus looks at the bottle and asks, "Was 1 a good year?"
* In the Canadian one-man show ''Work'', the protagonist recounts his brief stint as a sewer worker, in which his more senior colleagues talked this way about the stench coming out of an open manhole.
-->"[[NauseaFuel Kind of an oaky, nutty finish.]]"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Parodied by ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' with the "bottle of wine" item. When you drink it, the LemonyNarrator describes it as such:
-->'''Narrator:''' It [[ShapedLikeItself tastes like wine]], with [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment subtle overtones of wine]], and also a [[RuleOfThree faint aftertaste of wine]].
* The Infernal Sommelier in ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' can be pretty unnerving when he does this, as he also talks about the taste of ''[[YourSoulIsMine souls]]'' as well as wine, bringing up a slow slide into utter depression like it was a subtle taste of strawberry.
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', during a mead inspection, the head of Honningbrew Meadery tells the captain of the city guard that this particular brew is his finest yet and the captain will find it pleasing to the palate. The captain calls him out on this, saying "it's mead, not some wine to be sipped and savored."
* Whenever you buy a fancy drink in a bar in the ''Videogame/{{Yakuza}}'' series, the bartender will give you elaborate descriptions about your drink.
** Parodied in ''Kiwami'', when [[BunnyEarsLawyer Goro Majima]] gets behind the bar, and starts spouting this type of gibberish about what he later admits is "[[ExpensiveGlassOfCrap bottom-shelf hobo juice]]".
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/TwoPointHospital'' in-game radio show.
-->'''Sir Nigel Bickleworth:''' And now, for "Sommelier Over the Rainbow", featuring the robust Spigot Noir. With bouquet of black figs and [[TastesLikeFeet slightly used gym towels]], this wine will simply knock your socks off. In fact, if I drink another glass, I may have to rename this segment "Sommelier Under the Table". *AlcoholHic*
* In ''VideoGame/Hitman3'' in the Mendoza level, one way to get close to the target is for Agent 47 to impersonate the sommelier at the vineyard and decant an extremely rare bottle of wine for the target's meeting. As part of his disguise, 47 recites the apparently true history and flavor of the wine which he somehow knows.
-->'''Agent 47:''' This... is the 1945 Grand Paladin, one of only five bottles in existence. The vintage is legendary, the proverbial unicorn wine. The year was hot, the wines' super-concentrated and thanks to hail and frost, the production was small. Only 300 bottles were ever produced, and when the vineyard was bombed in the closing days of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, only a single crate survived. It is said to have amazingly complex aromas, with long savory layers of fruit and spice flavors and a silky texture. ''Enjoy.''
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'' Céline gets like this in regards to tea. In her support conversations with Etie, Céline can identify the origin of the leaves used from a single taste. Etie admits that while she enjoys tea, it all tastes the same to her. Céline readily admits it's an acquired skill but praises Etie (otherwise a FitnessNut) for trying.
* ''VideoGame/FableII'': The FlavorText for some wine bottles has fun with this trope:
--> '''Box Wine:''' Evenly proportioned, almost hedonistic Voignier. Opens with pork rind, hairspray and hints of anise.
--> '''Table Wine:''' Hints of vanilla, touches of oak, and whispers of fruity jam are purely imaginary in the bog-standard claret.
--> '''Classy Claret:''' One would be able to detect [[BreadEggsMilkSquick hints of raspberry, honeydew and marmoset]] with one's nose, if one was a pompous ass.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Used with craft beer in ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan.'' During the "Vacation" arc, Luna revealed she had turned to DrowningMySorrows at [[DarkAndTroubledPast one point in her life,]] and learned to appreciate beer as more than just a vehicle for alcohol.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
** The [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubus]] Sabine sometimes taunts her enemies in combat by describing the tasting notes of the LifeEnergy she's [[VampiricDraining draining off them]].
** During the ''Utterly Dwarfed'' arc, one of the vampires working under the High Priest of Hel talks in a similar fashion about the taste of the Orders' blood, whom they'd defeated in combat.
--->'''Vampire:''' ''[drinking Elan's blood] Mmmmm!'' A simple but crisp, bold flavor, perfect for relaxing with friends. Delicious! Are the rest this tasty?\\
[...]\\
'''Vampire:''' ''[now drinking from Haley]'' Oh wow. Subtle, but with so many complex undertones. Seriously, Boss, I can't believe you ate this well on the flight up.
* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'':
** Claire suddenly [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2400 starts talking]] this way about Scotch, even though it's her second glass ever and the first only tasted "like horrible burning". Immediately {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d:
--->'''Maurice:''' She's a savant!\\
'''Veronica:''' The sleeper has awakened!
** One of [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2136 the scientists on the space station]] invents a liqueur that causes drinkers to [[TastesLikePurple taste emotions rather than flavors]]. One of the test drinkers describes it this way, the other says it just tastes like awkwardly realizing [[RacistGrandma your grandmother was racist]].
* A ''Webcomic/SarahsScribbles'' strip presents a "ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld "joke like this, with a snob going on and on about how good the wine is, and Sarah herself saying "Hmm yes, this wine tastes like wine."
* Parodied in ''Webcomic/{{Selkie}}'' when the title character gives a stereotypical "wine snob" speech about her cup of chai tea. However, the real goal is to distract Andi and keep her from worrying too much about Selkie not being human.
-->'''Selkie:''' Goods body. Excelents vintage. 1922 was the bests year for this vineyard.
-->'''Andi:''' Who taught you how to "wine snob"?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* The [[http://static.gmon.com/tech/output.shtml Silly Tasting Notes Generator]] produces a short random instance of the style, in "Normal-silly" or "Extra-silly" flavors. The template is derived from actual Wine Spectator notes.
* [[http://bstaveley.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/redolent-of-plum-with-a-hint-of-urine-wine-snobs-david-hume-and-fantasy/ This blog post]] by fantasy author/commentator Brian Stavely talks about descriptors of wine that don't really match up with any perception by the senses of the drinker -- it's used as a metaphor for fantasy novels doing the same with language (i.e. saying a character is "dumb as a smeerp" has no real meaning for the audience since smeerps don't exist).
* Parodied at ''Website/TheOnion'': "Potato Chip Connoisseur Detects Notes of Sour Cream, Onion"
* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': In [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/ambrose-transylvania Ambrose Transylvania]], the blood served at the titular [[HellHotel swanky hotel for vampires]] is described this way.
-->I found the S'kakithi blood to be intolerably bitter, with strong smoke and almond notes. It was personally too strong for me, but I could see the appeal.
* {{Downplayed|Trope}} in ''WebVideo/TheWhiskeyVault''. In each episode, hosts Daniel and Rex go into detail about the odors and flavors they get out of the whiskeys they're sampling, along with some of the more intricate aspects such as finish and front or end notes. However, they're very down-to-earth and straightforward, and the pretentiousness and PurpleProse that's usually associated with the trope are nowhere to be found.
* Used for comedic effect at the end of WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation's double review of ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Dusk}}'', to emphasise how slim the pickings were in terms of concurrent games to review:
-->'''Yahtzee:''' What else am I going to review? The smell of my dog's farts? Two stars: bold and earthy, with subtle notes of toilet water.
* Parodied in [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad's ''Disk 4 of 12'']] episode on ''Vampire's Castle''. Strong Bad finds wine and cheddar cheese in the vampire's study, leading him to believe the vampire was going to hold a wine tasting. He then decides to have his own wine tasting in the alchemist's lab, only to discover that the game won't let him sample the wine. At the end of the video, Strong Bad and the Cheat have a wine tasting in the alchemist's lab with Music/{{Ratt}}, and Strong Bad attempts to sound classy by invoking this trope.
-->'''Strong Bad:''' Oh, the bouquet, and the brocade, and the pomade of this wine is exqueptional!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': The B-plot of "The Kids Rob a Train" has Bob and Linda meet a wine connoisseur on a wine-tasting train ride. Bob hates him for his condescending attitude regarding Bob's tastes, but when he challenges Bob to a wine-identifying contest he realizes the guy isn't just blowing smoke. Bob is only able to beat him when Linda brings in a "special" wine that the sommelier never had before but Bob had: [[spoiler:the various types of wine that were in one of the train's spittoons.]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' episode "Around the World in 80 Narfs" has a waiter introduce a wine as "An amusing vintage with an excellent nose." "It also seems to have ears and a tail," replies the diner -- as [[ItMakesSenseInContext Pinky and the Brain have been bottled into the wine]].
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': In "Shoo Ed", Rolf smells Jonny's stinky breath and notes "Anchovy paste, 1952. A fine year!".
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "The Shrink" sees Roger and Klaus training to become professional wine tasters after being humiliated at a party. A blindfolded Roger samples a glass and seems to rattle off every possible adjective that comes to mind. A disappointed Klaus reveals that the "test wine" is just milk.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/CountDuckula'' tells of a family gathering at the castle and Duckula wants no part of it. The relatives regale in a blood-tasting session, describing what they're tasting in this manner.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* TV wine pundit Jilly Goolden mastered this art -- she either described wines to a high degree of fluency and vinocultured literacy, or else she spoke a lot of utter bollocks about plonk. [[http://youtu.be/BLUOeNSzKY4 Here's an example]] of her flowery speech, along with a touch of FoodPorn. On the old BBC series ''Series/FoodAndDrink'', it's generally accepted (though never officially confirmed) that by the time of recording, she'd probably tasted a few wines too many.
* Some [[SlobsVsSnobs slobs have found a way to pull one over on the snobs]]: flick the glass and (pretend to) carefully listen to the tone this produces. Spouting nonsense about the clarity and note of the sound optional.
[[/folder]]
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