Have you ever listened to a wine tasting? The person who conducts the tasting observes the wine, describes the colors he/she appreciates and then brings the glass to the nose and describes a series of aromas of fruits, flowers, spices, wood, chocolate, among others. He tastes it and continues the description...
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Are fruits or spices really added to make wine aromatic?
Some people ask if fruits or spices are really added to wine to make it aromatic. The answer is a resounding: no.
Aroma is important when it comes to wine tasting.
The sense of smell is the one that evokes feelings or reminds us of situations in a clear and honest way. Wine is no exception. Aromas give information about what is going to be tasted through a journey into a fruity, floral, spicy, balsamic world, among an enormous universe of possibilities. The more aromas that can be distinguished, the more complex the wine is.
Aroma is therefore a very important element when it comes to tasting a wine. Thanks to it, we can obtain information about the grape variety with which it has been made, the process used or the age obtained after a barrel aging process.
Scent and odor are the same?
Aroma is the name given to all positive impressions during a tasting, and odor is the name given to negative expressions. An example would be the expression aroma of fruits, flowers and smell of humidity, solvent, or other unpleasant substances.
The olfactory phase is the most complex in a tasting and each person has a different capacity to perceive aromas. There are also many factors that block or diminish olfactory capacities, from physical and health aspects to emotional states. In this phase, the qualities and defects of the wine can be appreciated, and it is closely related to the taste phase, since aromas are perceived through two ways: direct nasal and retronasal.
Primary, secondary and tertiary aromas
Wine develops certain aromatic substances throughout the process, from the vineyard to aging, and depending on the stage a wine is in, aromas are classified into three categories: primary, secondary and tertiary.
Primary aromas in wines
They are characteristic of the grape, depending on the area where it was grown, the variety to which it belongs, the type of soil composition, the climate in the area and the processes during the harvest. The aromas they provide on the nose are floral, vegetal and fruity, although they can also confer spicy or mineral aromas.
Secondary aromas in wines
They usually appear as a result of alcoholic fermentation and malolactic transformation. They depend on the type of yeast and the conditions that promote fermentation, such as oxygenation or temperature, among other factors. They are composed of caramelized, lactic and even bakery aromas.
Tertiary aromas in wines
Finally, tertiary aromas are aromas that have been acquired during the aging of the wine in barrels and during its maturation stage in the bottle. Their main characteristic is that they are balsamic, wood, roasted or dried fruit aromas.
It is uncommon to talk about flavors in wine because they are the set of aromas with the sensations of our tongue. So, whenever we want to refer to what we perceive in a wine, we always comment that they are aromas or use phrases such as "it is a very aromatic wine" or "we perceive aromas of...".
The best way to explore the aromas in a wine is to taste it with the awareness of clearly identifying what we are perceiving. Enjoying the wine is the most important thing, but if it can also be interpreted, it is an even better experience.
