Discover your taste in wine.

Vinocompas is a method of describing and comparing wines based on how we experience them. Rather than focusing solely on grape varieties, regions or expert scores, it helps you understand a wine's character and discover your own taste in wine. That makes it easier to find more wines you will genuinely enjoy.

Vinocompas takes you through three stages. First you set the three base tastes: sweetness, acidity and astringency. Then you describe the six sensations that build a wine's character. Finally you choose tendencies – the images and associations that best capture its style. Based on your taste in wine, Vinocompas then finds wines with the closest character.

Your taste in wine shows which tastes, sensations and tendencies best match the wines you love. It doesn't judge whether a wine is better or worse – it describes its character and compares it with thousands of other wines to find those best matched to your preferences.

Taste is what we perceive most directly – sweetness, acidity and astringency. A sensation arises from their interplay. It is what describes a wine's character, which is why two equally dry wines can leave completely different impressions.

A sensation describes a wine's character. A tendency develops that sensation in one of two directions. It is a group of associations and images that make a wine's character easier to understand, remember and recognise.

Astringency is the feeling of gentle puckering and dryness in the mouth. You may know it from strong black tea, cocoa or walnut skin. It is what gives many wines – especially reds – their structure and resolute character.

Because dryness doesn't depend on the amount of sugar alone. It is how we perceive the mutual proportions of sweetness, acidity and astringency. Even a small change in one of them can make a wine seem more or less dry.

Because every wine contains all six sensations. They differ only in intensity. Some dominate, others stay subtle, but it is their mutual proportions that create a wine's character.

Of course. A taste in wine is rarely limited to a single sensation. Most people enjoy several styles, and Vinocompas lets you show which traits matter most to you and how they combine.

Every recommended wine has the character closest to your taste in wine. Vinocompas compares the tastes, sensations and tendencies you chose with the descriptions of every wine in the base. The greater the similarity, the higher a wine appears on the list.

Because Vinocompas describes a wine's character, not its origin. Two wines from different countries or grapes can share a very similar character, while two wines of the same grape can differ completely. That's why we start from what you actually perceive while tasting.

If you're tasting a wine, or know it from experience, describe it in Vinocompas. Then compare its character with other wines. The closer the character, the better the chance the new wine will suit you too.

Dryness is only the beginning. Two equally dry wines can have entirely different characters – one fresh and citrusy, the other full, bold and spicy. Vinocompas helps you uncover those differences and find wines that genuinely match your taste.

No. Vinocompas was created so that anyone can describe wine without professional vocabulary. Your perceptions and associations are enough.

No. Vinocompas doesn't judge whether you taste “correctly”. It describes the way you perceive wine. That is what reveals your taste in wine and finds more wines you'll enjoy.

No. Vinocompas doesn't replace wine knowledge – it helps organise it. It is a tool that makes it easier to recognise wines' characters, compare them and discover your own taste in wine.

Yes. A taste in wine changes with experience, season, occasion and even mood. That's why it's worth coming back to Vinocompas and describing different wines. Over time you'll know your preferences better and discover styles you might never have reached for.