Common wine aromas

I've put these common tasting terms for aromas into groups, but their real use, I hope, is to help you when blind tasting. (If a mature red wine smells strongly of strawberries, for example, chances are it’s a traditional rioja.) This is also a personal guide to developing a wine vocabulary of your own. None of us tastes in exactly the same way, so your impressions and most obvious expressions are likely to be subtly different from mine.

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Chemical

Other

  • Acetaldehyde
    Sherry, oxidation
  • Peardrops
    Beaujolais Nouveau, carbonic maceration

Paper

  • Dry cardboard
    Glasses from a cardboard box
  • Wet cardboard
    Dirty filter pads

Sulphur

  • Rotten eggs
    Hydrogen sulphide / mercaptans (aeration can help)
  • Struck match
    Free sulphur (especially for asthmatics)

Nutty

Almondy

  • Almond
    Soave
  • Marzipan
    Marsanne

Other

  • Chestnut
    Some Portuguese reds
  • Coconut
    American oak
  • Hazelnuts
    White burgundy

Fruity

Tree

  • Apricot
    Viognier / Condrieu
  • Black cherry
    Mature Pinot Noir
  • Peach
    Eastern European whites
  • Pear
    Piedmont whites

Tropical

  • Banana
    Beaujolais
  • Lychee
    Gewürztraminer
  • Melon
    Mâcon Blanc
  • Pineapple
    Cool fermented whites

Berry

  • Blackberry
    Northern Rhône red
  • Blackcurrant
    Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Gooseberry
    Sauvignon Blanc
  • Grape
    Muscat
  • Mulberry
    Shiraz
  • Raspberry
    Young Pinot Noir
  • Strawberry
    Red Rioja

Dried

  • Fig
    Port
  • Prune
    Recioto, concentrated reds
  • Raisin
    Banyuls, Liqueur Muscat

Citrus

  • Grapefruit
    English wine, Scheurebe
  • Lemon
    Acidified whites
  • Lime
    Australian Riesling
  • Orange
    Marsala, sweet Italians

Animal

Processed

  • Bacon fat
    Ripe Alsace
  • Leather
    Wood-aged reds, especially Australian

Raw

  • Cat's pee
    Sauvignon Blanc
  • Game
    Mature red Burgundy, Rhône
  • Meaty
    Pomerol
  • Mousey
    Brettanomyces

Sweet

  • Barley sugar
    Sauternes
  • Biscuit
    Old champagne
  • Caramel
    Ripe reds
  • Chocolate
    Shiraz
  • Honey
    Chenin Blanc, Riesling
  • Molasses
    Piemonte reds

Spicy

  • Black pepper
    Syrah
  • Liquorice
    Dense red wines, especially Syrah
  • Spicy
    Alsace whites, Southern Rhône reds
  • Vanilla
    American oak

Vegetal

Processed

  • Boiled cabbage
    Botrytis (noble rot)
  • Canned asparagus
    New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Fresh

  • Currant leaves
    Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc
  • Eucalyptus
    Ripe Cabernet Sauvignon, especially Australian
  • Geranium leaves
    Sorbic acid
  • Grassy
    Sauvignon Blanc, underripe grapes
  • Green pepper
    less-than-ripe Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc
  • Mint
    New World Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Nettles
    Sauvignon Blanc

Dried

  • Straw
    Chenin Blanc
  • Tea
    Young port
  • Tobacco
    Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Microbiological

Yeast

  • Bread
    Some Champagne
  • Flor
    Manzanilla, Fino

Lactic

  • Buttery
    Rich Chardonnay

Burnt

  • Burning rubber
    Syrah
  • Burnt toast
    Old Hunter Valley Semillon
  • Coffee
    Madeira, Banyuls, old reds
  • Smoky
    Alsace whites
  • Toasted bread
    Fine oaked Chardonnay

Woody

  • Cigar box
    Red bordeaux
  • Oaky
    Any oaked wine, most obvious on Chardonnay
  • Pencil shavings
    Cabernet Franc
  • Pine
    Retsina
  • Wet wood
    Dirty cooperage

Earthy

  • Dirty dishcloth
    Dirty glasses
  • Mould
    TCA, 'corkiness' or other taint
  • Undergrowth
    Mature, full reds

Floral

  • Elderflower
    Young, cool climate whites
  • Orange blossom
    Muscat
  • Rose
    Nebbiolo, Muscat
  • Vaguely floral
    Riesling and crosses
  • Violet
    Top quality mature reds

Mineral

  • Flint
    Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre
  • Petrol/kerosene
    Aged Riesling
  • Wet stones
    Chablis