![]() ![]() That is why many Chardonnays smell buttery and creamy. Diacetyl is a byproduct of malolactic fermentation where bacteria transforms sharp malic acid in wine into much softer lactic acid. Buttered popcorn and violets / Illustration by Ryan McAmis Ketones and diketonesīeta-ionone: This compound creates the haunting scent of violets in Pinot Noir or Syrah.īeta-damascenone: Floral aromas with an undertow of red fruit come from this ketone.įusion Air Short Stem Taste Wine Glasses (Set of 4)ĭiacetyl: The most obvious diketone, diacetyl smells like melted butter and can also come across as creaminess in wine. Octyl acetate: Expect aromas of oranges and citrus fruits.īutyl acetate: This ester smells of Red Delicious apples. This is the result of these two very common esters. Isoamyl acetate and ethyl acetate: Very young, white wines often smell of pear-drop candy, or a mix of banana and pear flavor. Esters are responsible for primary fruit flavors we get in very young wine. Apple and banana notes / Illustration by Ryan McAmis EstersĮsters are volatile flavor compounds created by reactions between alcohols and acids. After all, green bell pepper is just the unripe version of red and yellow bell peppers. Methoxypyrazines can also be a sign of underripeness in other grape varieties, where they present as an almost acrid herbaceousness. These incredibly stable compounds form part of the varietal character of some grapes, especially those in the Sauvignon family. ![]() Methoxypyrazines: Ever smelled green bell pepper in Cabernet Sauvignon or leafiness in Carmenère? What you’re sniffing are methoxypyrazines. Green bell pepper / Illustration by Ryan McAmis Pyrazines American oak ( Quercus alba) tends to have more vanillin than French oak (Q uercus robur), so you’re not mistaken if that oaked California Zinfandel seems to particularly smell of vanilla.īenzaldehyde: If you come across the scent of bitter almond or marzipan in aged Pinot Gris or some Italian white wines, you are smelling this compound.įurfural: Reminiscent of dried wood, caramel and wheat bran, this chemical often occurs in oak-aged wines. ![]() In wine, it derives from fermenting or aging in oak barrels. Vanillin: Another famous aldehyde, this is the chief flavor of vanilla beans. Hexanal and hexenal: These two aldehydes are responsible for scents of freshly cut grass and tomato leaf in Sauvignon Blanc. Vanilla / Illustration by Ryan McAmis Aldehydes If your Shiraz, Syrah or Grüner Veltliner gives you a whiff of a recently used pepper mill, you are smelling this compound. As a sesquiterpene, rotundone is better known for the pungent aroma it gives peppercorns, particularly white pepper. Rotundone: Since red wines are fermented on their skins, highly aromatic and stable compounds can make it into the wine. Both are airborne, highly volatile aroma compounds that can cling to the bloom on the skin of grapes. The compound 1,8-cineole gives eucalyptus trees their distinctive smell, while alpha-pinene is found in aromatic shrubs like juniper and rosemary. Hotrienol: The smell of linden blossom is also a constituent of that heady elderflower smell in Sauvignon Blanc.ġ,8-cineole and alpha-pinene: If you regularly smell eucalyptus in Australian red wines, or the scent of garrigue scrubland in the red wines of Southern France, you’re not fantasizing. Limonene and citral: These zesty flavors in wine are derived from the same compound found in citrus peel. Nerol and citronellol: Both these compounds create the floral, citrusy scents that occur in numerous flowers and fruits, and wine. Geraniol: The compound behind the tell-tale smell of rose petals. L inalool: This terpene, in connection with others, causes the perception of lavender, orange blossom, lily and even bay leaves. Terpenes are a class of compound that make wines like Muscat and Gewürztraminer fragrant and give characteristic citrus flavours to Riesling. ![]() If you smell rose petals or citrus in your wine, it’s due to terpenes, which reside primarily in grape skins and are abundant elsewhere in nature: in blossoms, fruits and leaves of myriad plants. Citrus, rose petals and eucalyptus / Illustration by Ryan McAmis Terpenes Here’s a list of noteworthy compounds found in wine, and what common aromas and flavors you may not realize come from them. Thank You! We've received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast. ![]()
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