(Telegraph) - A study has found widespread bewilderment among wine drinkers at the "pompous" terms used by producers, retailers and critics to describe how a bottle tastes.

From a "nervy" red to a white boasting a subtle hint of "spring hedgerows", if you have ever been baffled by the descriptions given to wines then don't worry, you are not alone.

New research has revealed widespread bewilderment at the terms used by producers, retailers and critics to convey a bottle's taste.

More than half of wine drinkers who took part in the survey (55 per cent) said the descriptions given to wines failed to help them get an understanding of the flavour. And the drinkers were also able to pick out those terms they found most mystifying. They were given a list of 43 words and phrases used to describe different wines and were asked to identify the five they found most and least helpful in conveying the drink's taste.