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Wine wordsWhat does "body" mean in wine?
Body is how heavy or weighty a wine feels in your mouth. A helpful comparison is milk: light-bodied wines feel like skim milk, medium-bodied like 2%, and full-bodied like whole milk or cream.
Alcohol, sugar and grape variety all play a part. Riesling and Beaujolais are usually light-bodied, while oaked Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are typically full-bodied.