If you like this, try…
Wines like Sémillon
A thin-skinned, botrytis-prone variety essential to Sauternes and to a unique long-lived dry style in the Hunter Valley. Below: what to try next, grouped by the direction you want to travel.
Refine
What do you like about Sémillon?
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.
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.
- How light it is
- A wine you can drink without it feeling like a commitment. Usually lower in alcohol as well as lighter in the mouth.
- 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 vanilla and oak
- Vanilla, toast, coconut, sweet spice, sometimes smoke. It comes from the barrel rather than the grape, which is why the same grape can taste completely different with and without it.
- 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.
- The touch of sweetness
- Actual sugar left in the wine, which is a different thing from tasting fruity. A wine can smell of ripe peach and be completely dry.
Looking for something keeping the creamy, rounded mouthfeel, while moving away from too savoury or funky and too sharp or lemony.
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.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- About as sharp or lemony as the wine you started from.
Roussanne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- A little less sharp or lemony.
Chardonnay
curatedA comparably low-aromatic, textural white that rewards oak, lees and time.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- About as savoury or funky as the wine you started from.
- More sharp or lemony, not less.
Pošip
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
- About as sharp or lemony as the wine you started from.
Vidal
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
- About as sharp or lemony as the wine you started from.
Malvazija Istarska
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Has some of the creamy, rounded mouthfeel, though less of it.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- About as sharp or lemony as the wine you started from.
Hárslevelű
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
- About as sharp or lemony as the wine you started from.
Grenache Blanc
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- About as savoury or funky as the wine you started from.
- A little less sharp or lemony.
Closest overall
Nearest neighbours, no change of direction.
Closest matches
The nearest overall neighbours across structure and flavour, with no deliberate change of direction.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and softer and rounder.
Roussanne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fruitier.
Chardonnay
curatedA comparably low-aromatic, textural white that rewards oak, lees and time.
Expect: Rounder and more overtly fruity, and far more widely available.
Pošip
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Different grape, similar feel
Deliberately excludes the variety you already know, to find a genuinely new wine that fills the same role.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and softer and rounder.
Roussanne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fruitier.
Pošip
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Vidal
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
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.
Müller-Thurgau
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and fresher.
Trebbiano Romagnolo
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Parellada
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Trebbiano Toscano
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
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.
Vidal
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Trebbiano Romagnolo
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Müller-Thurgau
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and fresher.
Parellada
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Similar but fuller
Keeps the character but adds weight, concentration and mouthfeel.
Marsanne
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Alsace Pinot Gris
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Condrieu
Both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.
Viognier
Both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.
Similar but less tannic
For readers who find firm reds drying. Reduces tannic grip while holding flavour and weight roughly steady.
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.
Marsanne
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and more savoury.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and softer and rounder.
Alsace Pinot Gris
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
California Chardonnay
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more savoury.
Similar but more structured
More tannic architecture, for food or for ageing.
Malvazija Istarska
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Mtsvane Kakhuri
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Malvasia
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Istrian Malvazija
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher.
Similar but fresher
Raises acidity and overall lift, usually by moving to a cooler-climate expression.
Chenin Blanc
curatedBoth are waxy, high-acid, ageworthy varieties made dry and sweet.
Expect: Higher acidity and a quince-and-honey rather than lanolin character.
Ribolla Gialla
Ribolla Gialla scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fresher and more acidic.
Petit Manseng
Both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fruitier.
Colombard
Both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fresher and more acidic.
Similar but softer
Lowers acidity and sharpness in favour of a broader, gentler feel.
Alsace Pinot Gris
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and rounder and creamier in texture.
California Chardonnay
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Marsanne
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and fresher.
The sparkling version
Moves to a sparkling expression while holding the flavour and weight as close as possible.
Glera
Glera scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fruitier.
Franciacorta
Franciacorta scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher.
Méthode Cap Classique
Méthode Cap Classique scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher.
Similar but drier
Reduces perceptible sugar while keeping aromatic character.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and softer and rounder.
Roussanne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fruitier.
Pošip
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Grenache Blanc
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and more savoury.
Similar but sweeter
Adds perceptible sweetness, which also softens acidity and chilli heat.
Recioto della Valpolicella
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Vin de Constance
Vin de Constance scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.
Moscatel de Setúbal
Moscatel de Setúbal scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.
Sauternes
Both are made from sémillon, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
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.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and softer and rounder.
Vidal
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Hárslevelű
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Malvazija Istarska
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Similar but more oaky
Adds barrel character, toast and a creamier texture.
California Chardonnay
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Chardonnay
curatedA comparably low-aromatic, textural white that rewards oak, lees and time.
Expect: Rounder and more overtly fruity, and far more widely available.
White Bordeaux
Both are made from sémillon, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and more savoury.
Marsanne
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Similar but more aromatic
More to smell before you taste — floral, fruity or spiced aromatics.
Roussanne
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more aromatic, and fresher.
Hárslevelű
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.
Malagousia
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.
Alsace Pinot Gris
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more aromatic.
Similar but more restrained
For readers who find intensely aromatic wines tiring over a whole glass. Keeps the structure, turns the volume down.
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.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and softer and rounder.
Pošip
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Grenache Blanc
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and more savoury.
Malvazija Istarska
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Similar but more floral
Pushes specifically towards rose, violet, blossom and elderflower character.
Roussanne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and more aromatic.
Hárslevelű
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Roero Arneis
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Arneis
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
Similar but more savoury
Moves away from primary fruit towards earth, herb, meat and umami character.
Palomino Fino
Palomino Fino scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and softer and rounder.
White Burgundy
Both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher.
Friuli white
Friuli white scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher.
Friulano
Friulano scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher.
Similar but fruitier
More obvious, generous fruit flavour, usually from a warmer climate.
Pošip
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Vidal
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Hárslevelű
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Gewürztraminer
Both come from the same country.
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.
Hunter Valley Semillon
Both are made from sémillon.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and more savoury.
South African Sauvignon Blanc
Both are made from sémillon.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fresher and more acidic.
White Bordeaux
Both are made from sémillon, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and more savoury.
Same grape, warmer climate
Typically riper, fuller and more generous in fruit, with higher alcohol.
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.
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.
Chardonnay
curatedA comparably low-aromatic, textural white that rewards oak, lees and time.
Expect: Rounder and more overtly fruity, and far more widely available.
Pinot Gris
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and leaner and more cutting.
California Chardonnay
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more savoury.
Chenin Blanc
curatedBoth are waxy, high-acid, ageworthy varieties made dry and sweet.
Expect: Higher acidity and a quince-and-honey rather than lanolin character.
Something more adventurous
Less familiar wines that occupy similar territory — the interesting end of the shelf.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and softer and rounder.
Roussanne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fruitier.
Pošip
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Vidal
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
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.
Auxerrois
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and softer and rounder.
Roussanne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher, and fruitier.
Pošip
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
Vidal
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and fresher.
A step up
The benchmark expressions of the same territory, usually with more concentration, structure and ageing potential.
California Chardonnay
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fruitier, and more savoury.
Chardonnay
curatedA comparably low-aromatic, textural white that rewards oak, lees and time.
Expect: Rounder and more overtly fruity, and far more widely available.
White Burgundy
Both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher.
Australian Chardonnay
Australian Chardonnay scores closest to Sémillon across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher.
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.