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aromas & flavours
HERBAL, HERBACEOUS, RESINOUS & SPICY
ANISEED
BASIL
BLACK PEPPER
BLACKCURRANT LEAF
CAMPHOR
CHIVE
CINNAMON
CLOVE
CURRANT LEAF
EUCALYPTUS
FENNEL
GINGERBREAD
GRASSY
HERBACEOUS
HERBAL
MINT
PEPPERMINT
PEPPERY
PEPPERY HERBACEOUS
PINE
SPEARMINT
SPICY
STALKY
STEMMY
TARRAGON
TOMATO LEAF
WHITE PEPPER
Anis (F) Anis (G) Anice (I) Anís (S)
This spicy-herbal aroma can be found in wines of almost any style.
Anethole
Basilic (F) Basilikum (G) Basilico (I) Albahaca (S)
Often found in wines from Provence, Spain and Italy.
Poivre noir (F) Schwarzer Pfeffer (G) Pepe nero (I) Pimienta negra (S)
Classic Syrah. Probably a pyrazine character plumped-up by grape ripeness. Various pyrazines?
See also WHITE PEPPER
See CURRANT LEAF
Camphre (F) Kampfer (G) Canfora (I) Alcanfor (S)
Prematurely aged reds.
Vitispirane
Ciboulette (F) Schnittlauch (G) Erbe cipollina (I) Cebolleta (S)
A mercaptan fault.
4-Methylthiobutan-1-ol
Cannelle (F) Zimt (G) Cannella (I) Canela (S)
Cinnamon notes can be found in both red (particularly Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon) and white (Gewürztraminer, French Sauvignon Blanc) wines.
Cinnamaldehyde
Girofle (F) Nelke (G) Garfano (I) Clavo (S)
Often part of the spicy complexity imparted by toasted oak. Eugenol is found in cloves.
Eugenol, 4-vinylguaiacol
Feuille de groseille (F) Johannisbeer-blatt (G) Foglia del ribes (I) Hoja de la grosella (S)
High-vigour and/or underripeness, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
Mercaptopentan-2-one, various pyrazines
Eucalyptus (F) Eukalyptus (G) Eucalyptus (I) Eucalipto (S)
Supposedly found on Australian reds from grapes grown within the immediate vicinity of eucalyptus trees, but can be found on many New World reds, particularly California Cabernets.
Eucalyptol
Fenouil (F) Fenchel (G) Finocchio (I) Hinojo (S)
Found in many reds and whites.
Anethole
Pain d'épice (F) Lebkuchen (G) Pan di zenzero (I) Pan de jengibre (S)
Classic bottle-aged aroma of Gewürztraminer.
Herbeux (F) Grasig (G) Erbosa (I) Herbosa (S)
Combination of ripeness and a certain vigour in Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard etc.
Hexanedienol, cis-hexenal, various pyrazines
Herbacé (F) Krautig (G) Erbaceo (I) Herbáceo (S)
Overt herbaceousness is a sign of underripeness or an over-vigorous canopy, although an understated herbaceousness can add an attractive dimension to some wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Petit/Gros Manseng, Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc etc).
Various pyrazines
See specifically BASIL, MINT, PEPPERMINT, TARRAGON
Menthe (F) Minze (G) Menta (I) Menta (S)
Many New World reds, particularly Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
l-carvone
Menthe poivrée (F) Pfefferminze (G) Menta piperita (I) Hierbabuena (S)
Stronger, hotter version of mint, peppermint is less common, but can be found in some Australian Shiraz.
Menthone, menthol, menthyl acetate
See specifically BLACK PEPPER, PEPPERY-HERBACEOUS, WHITE PEPPER
Poivré-herbacé (F) Pfefferig-krautig (G) Pepato-erbaceo (I) Pimienta-herbácea (S)
A less severe form of stalky, this characteristic can be found in some whole-bunch fermented reds such as Pinot Noir and even Champagne.
Hexanol, hexenals, various pyrazines
Pin (F) Kiefer (G) Pino (I) Pino (S)
Pine resin added to Retsina.
a-pinene, a-terpineol, terpinolene
Menthe verte (F) Grüne Minze (G) Menta verde (I) Menta verde (S)
New World reds.
l-carvone; carvacrol
Epicé (F) Würzig (G) Piccante (I) Picante (S)
Although a generic term, spicy is a very specific wine characteristic that is intensified by bottle-age, while tannins from the skins give the spice its hot, tactile impression on the finish. Principally Gewürztraminer, but also Pinot Gris. Eugenol is found in bay leaves, cloves and allspice.
Cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, 4-vinyl guaiacol, anethole, methyl salicylate, hexenals, various pyrazines and terpenes.
See specifically CINNAMON, CLOVE, GINGERBREAD, SMOKY-SPICY
Goût de rafle (F) Kammig (G) Sapore di picciolo (I) Entallecido (S)
A green, tannic-herbaceous dryness that can sometimes be mistaken for TCA.
Hexanol, hexenals
See STALKY
Estragon (F) Estragon (G) Estragone (I) Estragón (S)
Certain Provence wines.
Feuille de tomate (F) Tomatenblatt (G) Foglia del pomodoro (I) Hoja del tomate (S)
The distinctive aroma of deliberately oxidised Sauvignon Blanc juice prior to fermentation
2-isobutylthiazole
Poivre blanc (F) Weißer Pfeffer (G) Pepe bianco (I) Pimienta blanca (S)
The powdery-dry taste perception of white pepper is most famously found in top Grüner Veltliner from Austria's Wachau.
