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

Cabernet is a grape American oenophiles already know.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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

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"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.

Read more on Salon

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

Read more on New York Times

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.