Aromas
Natural organic substances present in wine. According to technical wine tasting terminology, this term should be reserved for fragrances that are perceived through the post-nasal route when a wine is savoured. It is different from the smell or odour of the wine which is obtained directly by placing the nose close to the glass. Today, in normal everyday language, the word aroma is used to describe both the fragrances that are identified through the direct nasal route or the indirect post-nasal passages. In wine tasting, it is necessary to distinguish between three categories of aromas: 1 - Primary aromas, or varietal aromas, are those that are present in the must and are transmuted to the wines. They are very delicate aromas which are discernable mostly in very young and fresh white wines. Certain very elegant white wines (Riesling, muscatel, gewürztraminer, alvarinho, etc.) derive their best fruity characteristics from these aromas. 2 - Secondary aromas are produced during fermentation, when the wine acquires vinous aromas mixed with varietal aromas and those of fermentation. A wine possesses varied aromatic qualities when the varietal aromas are dominant. Fermentation aromas are quite vulnerable and disappear after a year or two. Wines that are known for their primary and secondary aromas never age. 3 A wines bouquet consists of the tertiary aromas, or aging aromas that develop in the cask (oxidization aromas) or in the bottle (reduction aromas). Great wines have to spend several years in a bottle for the desired bouquet to manifest itself and reach its peak. The bouquet has nothing in common with the primary and secondary aromas. Only great wines possess the necessary characteristics to develop their bouquet as proof of their complexity. Tertiary aromas can have meaty (game, leather), balsamic (resin, wood) and especially smokey (smoke, tobacco, tar) notes to it. Over 500 different aromas have been identified in relation to wine.