Aromas & Flavors
I would say the biggest misconception I encounter in wine education, is the source of wine’s aromas and flavors. You know… the slate minerality in a Mosel Riesling, the tart pineapple in a Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, or the green olive and smoked meat in a Cote Rotie Syrah? No, these aromas and flavors are not infused and added to the wine. If you thought they were, you are not alone!
The vast number of beautiful and interesting aromas and flavors in wine are a product of several influences. The main contributors are the grape varieties themselves and terroir, or the influences of where the grapes are grown. Let’s explore those and other contributors.
Grapes varieties on their own have flavors that might remind you of other fruits, or of other tastes and smells. Fermentation unlocks many chemical compounds that are shared by other fruits and foods. Wine contain dozens of esters, pyrazines, terpenes, and other organic compounds, that when you start mixing and matching them together you get more and more aromas and flavors. Those compounds are responsible for the flavors and aromas we identify when we taste wine. Each grape variety has core aromas and tastes that they possess, so getting to know these will go along way in identifying what you like.
Terroir is the French term describing the many growing conditions where grapes are grown. Specifically, the soil and climate, which are the two most important factors to how a grape grows, and thus will heavily influence how that grape is going to taste. The same grape, whether it be Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, possesses different aromas and flavors depending upon what type of climate it is grown in.
Oak barrels also add flavors like spice, caramel, vanilla, toast or cedar. There is new oak, neutral oak, French, American, Hungarian and others that contribute different nuances. New oak imparts deeper and more pronounced aromatics while neutral oak (meaning it is used multiple times) contributes less.
Viticultural and Vinicultural techniques can influence the flavors as well. From when the grapes are picked, to the yeast strain in fermentation, to blending, and more. When fruit is harvested plays a key factor in aromas and flavors.
Mother Nature also plays her part, as each vintage has its own unique characteristics. This is the key component that makes wine more unique than any other alcoholic beverage. Warmer vintages produce wines with riper fruit characteristics, aromas and flavors while cooler vintages produce leaner, lighter and more hight toned aromas and flavors.