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.

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