oenophile

Also oe·noph·i·list

[ee-nuh-fahyl]

noun

1. a person who enjoys wines, usually as a connoisseur.

oenophile

/ ˈiːnəˌfaɪl /

noun

1. a lover or connoisseur of wines

Other Word Forms

• oenophilia noun
• oenophilic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oenophile¹

1925–30; < French < Greek oîn ( os ) wine + -o- -o- + French -phile -phile

Word History and Origins

Origin of oenophile¹

C20: from Greek oinos wine + _-phile

Example Sentences

Ledbetter remembers when everything was on wine’s side: There was the so-called Judgment of Paris in 1976 when French oenophiles, in blind tasting, chose Napa as tops for both red and white wines.

From Los Angeles Times

Give your fellow oenophile something different this year: Mexican wine.

From Los Angeles Times

"Drops of God" on Apple TV+ is not for everyone, but it's a gorgeously chilled masterwork focused on a contest to inherit the legacy of an oenophile.

From Salon

He wasn’t quite the oenophile she was, but he was cute, she thought.

From New York Times

Virginia’s wine community has long tied its story to Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s “first oenophile,” who famously believed that his native region could grow world-class wine, though his own attempts at Monticello failed.

From Washington Post

When To Use

What does oenophile mean?

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.