oenophile

An oenophile is a person who greatly enjoys wine and knows a lot about it; a wine lover.

An oenophile is considered a connoisseur of wine, meaning they don’t just like it—they love it and know a lot about it. Less commonly, oenophile is spelled œnophile or enophile.

Example: Brian is a true oenophile—he belongs to a wine tasting group and keeps his cellar stocked.

The first recorded use of oenophile in English comes from the 1860s (when it was often spelled œnophile, using the combined character œ). Earlier forms of the word were used in French, which derived the word from Greek. It is formed from the Greek root oînos, meaning “wine,” and the suffix -phile, which is used to form nouns that mean “lover of,” as in bibliophile (book lover).

An oenophile usually has quite a bit of knowledge about wines. They’ll probably know how wine is made, which region a certain wine originates from, the best wine to pair with a particular food, and even which kind of glass is best to use for a specific type of wine. Perhaps above all, an oenophile loves the taste of wine and all its complexities—which they love to discuss. Have a question about the difference between a cab and a pinot? Ask an oenophile!

What are some other forms of oenophile?

• oenophilia (noun)
• oenophilic (adjective)
• oenophilist (noun)
• œnophile (alternate spelling)
• enophile (alternate spelling)

What are some synonyms for oenophile?

• wine lover

What are some words that share a root or word element with oenophile? 

• oenology
• audiophile
• bibliophile
• logophile

What are some words that often get used in discussing oenophile?

• wine
• connoisseur
• enthusiast
• viniculture
• sommelier

Those who use the word oenophile are likely to be oenophiles themselves, which is evident from the way that they talk about wines and their different flavors and origins.

“I’m an oenophile”
-boring
-egghead cork sniffers
-y u no have white Zinfandel?
-is White Claw a wine?

“I get paid to drink wine”
-how *you* doin’
-unsolicited offers to be the Sauvignon to be my Cabernet
-sorry, I don’t give private unlit tours of the restaurant’s cellar https://t.co/tWv4lrs2zZ

— Dan Kim (김명준) (@danielmkim) February 11, 2020

Having finally opened and tasted the @vanloverenwines new #drinkalmostzero range I can say that while it’s no secret I am an oenophile, I am trying to live on the lighter side lately. This Rosè tastes of summery strawberries with a hint of delicious Rose Turkish Delight. pic.twitter.com/k9TvrEKytL

— Dominique Solomon (@OffBeetBlog_) July 9, 2019

Sicily might be a beach lover’s dream, but it’s an oenophile’s paradise, too http://t.co/cT4fSATiCX @TascaWine pic.twitter.com/vYi2Io8jB4

— Condé Nast Traveler (@CNTraveler) August 25, 2015

Which of the following words is not related to oenophile?

A. winebibber
B. connoisseur
C. barophile
D. winemaker