If you like this, try…

Wines like Encruzado

The Dão’s outstanding white variety, capable of Burgundian weight and longevity. Below: what to try next, grouped by the direction you want to travel.

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What do you like about Encruzado?

Optional — the results below already work without it. But “I like Malbec” is at least four different preferences wearing one name, and saying which one you mean changes the answer substantially. Only qualities this wine actually has are offered.

I like…

How full and weighty it is The creamy, rounded texture That it is properly dry

But it’s a bit…

too sharp or lemony too tropical or sweet-smelling too heavy too buttery or thick too savoury or funky too austere

Clear all

What these words mean

The citrus and orchard fruit: Lemon, lime, green apple, pear. The signature of a cool-climate white — quieter and less perfumed than tropical fruit, and a different thing from the acidity it usually travels with.
The tropical fruit: Passionfruit, mango, pineapple, guava. It comes from riper fruit and warmer sites, and it is the difference between Marlborough and Sancerre in the same grape.
How full and weighty it is: Body is how much the wine seems to fill your mouth — the difference between skimmed and whole milk. It comes mostly from alcohol and ripeness.
The creamy, rounded texture: A soft, almost dairy-like roundness. In white wine it usually comes from malolactic fermentation or from time on the lees, not from the grape.
The savoury, meaty side: Leather, olive, cured meat, dried herbs, tobacco. It is what people mean by calling a wine "serious" rather than "fruity", and it comes with age as well as with place.
That it is properly dry: No perceptible sugar at all. Almost all red wine is dry and a good deal of white wine is not, which is why this is a more useful thing to say about a white than about a red.

Looking for something moving away from too tropical or sweet-smelling and too heavy.

Based on what you said

Ranked against the qualities you named rather than against the wine as a whole. The directions below are refined the same way.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

A little less tropical or sweet-smelling.
Substantially less heavy.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

A little less tropical or sweet-smelling.
Substantially less heavy.

Melon de Bourgogne

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Substantially less tropical or sweet-smelling.
Substantially less heavy.

Muscadet

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Substantially less tropical or sweet-smelling.
Substantially less heavy.

Chasselas

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

A little less tropical or sweet-smelling.
Substantially less heavy.

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

A little less tropical or sweet-smelling.
Substantially less heavy.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

A little less tropical or sweet-smelling.
Substantially less heavy.

Pinot Blanc

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

A little less tropical or sweet-smelling.
Substantially less heavy.

Closest overall

Nearest neighbours, no change of direction.

Closest matches

The nearest overall neighbours across structure and flavour, with no deliberate change of direction.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Melon de Bourgogne

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Muscadet

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Different grape, similar feel

Deliberately excludes the variety you already know, to find a genuinely new wine that fills the same role.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Melon de Bourgogne

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Muscadet

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Change the structure

Same idea, different weight, grip or freshness.

Similar but lighter

Keeps the character but reduces weight, alcohol and density in the mouth.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Melon de Bourgogne

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Muscadet

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Similar but lower in alcohol

Holds the character and the weight where it can, and moves specifically on strength. Note that below about 11% the choices narrow sharply, and below 5% they are mostly a different category rather than a lighter version of the same one.

Melon de Bourgogne

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter in alcohol, and lighter.

Muscadet

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter in alcohol, and lighter.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter in alcohol, and lighter.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter in alcohol, and lighter.

Similar but fuller

Keeps the character but adds weight, concentration and mouthfeel.

Nothing in WineHQ's catalogue makes this move meaningfully from here. These are the closest wines otherwise, but do not expect them to deliver what you asked for — the honest answer is that this style does not have a good neighbour in that direction.

Sémillon

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and sweeter.

Chardonnay

curated

Comparable structure, texture and response to barrel ageing.

Expect: Rounder and more overtly oaky.

Chasselas

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and leaner and more cutting.

Verdicchio

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Similar but less tannic

For readers who find firm reds drying. Reduces tannic grip while holding flavour and weight roughly steady.

Sémillon

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and sweeter.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Melon de Bourgogne

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Similar but more structured

More tannic architecture, for food or for ageing.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Rkatsiteli

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Istrian Malvazija

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Tsolikouri

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Similar but fresher

Raises acidity and overall lift, usually by moving to a cooler-climate expression.

Melon de Bourgogne

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and lighter.

Muscadet

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and lighter.

Gavi

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and lighter.

Jacquère

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Similar but softer

Lowers acidity and sharpness in favour of a broader, gentler feel.

Auxerrois

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and more aromatic.

Marsanne

Marsanne scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and fuller and richer.

California Chardonnay

California Chardonnay scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fuller and richer.

Grenache Blanc

Grenache Blanc scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and fuller and richer.

The sparkling version

Moves to a sparkling expression while holding the flavour and weight as close as possible.

Cava

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Crémant

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

English sparkling wine

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Corpinnat

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Similar but sweeter

Adds perceptible sweetness, which also softens acidity and chilli heat.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Sémillon

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and sweeter.

Trebbiano Romagnolo

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and more aromatic.

Seyval Blanc

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fruitier.

Change the flavour

Same shape, different aromatic character.

Similar but less oaky

One of the commonest requests in wine. Strips oak influence while holding grape character and weight.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Melon de Bourgogne

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Muscadet

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Similar but more oaky

Adds barrel character, toast and a creamier texture.

Sémillon

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and sweeter.

Chenin Blanc

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

White Bordeaux

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Chardonnay

curated

Comparable structure, texture and response to barrel ageing.

Expect: Rounder and more overtly oaky.

Similar but more aromatic

More to smell before you taste — floral, fruity or spiced aromatics.

Sancerre

Sancerre scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Pouilly-Fumé

Pouilly-Fumé scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Welsh white wine

Welsh white wine scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and lighter.

Aidani

Aidani scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and lighter.

Similar but more restrained

For readers who find intensely aromatic wines tiring over a whole glass. Keeps the structure, turns the volume down.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Melon de Bourgogne

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Muscadet

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Similar but more floral

Pushes specifically towards rose, violet, blossom and elderflower character.

Soave

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Garganega

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Welschriesling

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Sancerre

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Similar but more savoury

Moves away from primary fruit towards earth, herb, meat and umami character.

Muscadet

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Franken Silvaner

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and softer and rounder.

Palomino Fino

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and stronger and warmer.

Grüner Veltliner

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.

Similar but fruitier

More obvious, generous fruit flavour, usually from a warmer climate.

Avesso

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.

Montlouis-sur-Loire

Montlouis-sur-Loire scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.

Falanghina

Falanghina scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.

Kerner

Kerner scores closest to Encruzado across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.

Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.

Change the place

Keep the grape, move it somewhere else.

Same grape, cooler climate

Typically fresher, lighter and more herbal, with lower alcohol.

Douro white

Both are made from encruzado, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.

Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more aromatic.

Same grape, warmer climate

Typically riper, fuller and more generous in fruit, with higher alcohol.

Douro white

Both are made from encruzado, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.

Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and fruitier.

Change the mood

Safer, stranger, cheaper or more serious.

A safe next step

Well-known wines that are widely available and unlikely to surprise anyone.

Pinot Grigio

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fruitier.

Grüner Veltliner

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Chardonnay

curated

Comparable structure, texture and response to barrel ageing.

Expect: Rounder and more overtly oaky.

Chablis

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Something more adventurous

Less familiar wines that occupy similar territory — the interesting end of the shelf.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Melon de Bourgogne

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Muscadet

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

A better-value alternative

Wines that occupy similar sensory territory from regions carrying less price premium. WineHQ does not hold live prices, so this reasons from regional reputation and demand rather than from a price feed — treat it as a lead, not a quote.

Koshu

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Trebbiano Toscano

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and lighter in alcohol.

Melon de Bourgogne

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

Muscadet

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and fresher and more acidic.

A step up

The benchmark expressions of the same territory, usually with more concentration, structure and ageing potential.

Grüner Veltliner

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

Chablis

The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.

Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fruitier.

White Burgundy

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more aromatic.

Santorini Assyrtiko

They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.

Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more aromatic.

How these are chosen

Each suggestion is scored across sixteen taste dimensions, weighted so that structure matters more than flavour, and adjusted for whether the wine actually moves in the direction you asked for. Curated links from an editor carry extra weight — but only when the editor tagged them for this direction. Nothing here is a black box; see the taste model for the full method.