Explained: Tasting Notes in Wine

Across our site we list the notes you can expect when creating wines from different grapes. We often get questions about what it actually means when we say notes of green apple or lychee.

Aroma Compounds

Those notes that a sommelier will describe are actually aroma compounds, volatile molecules escaping from the liquid and into your nose. Grapes contain the exact same molecular structure found in other fruits, plants and spices. During fermentation, yeast eats the grape sugar, converting it into alcohol. This process triggers a chemical chain reaction which unlocks these aromatic compounds. Your brain cross-references these molecules with memories of things you have smelt before.

There are three common ways that grapes mimic flavours:

• Pyrazines

  This chemical compound is found in high concentrations in bell peppers but is also native to Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Pyrazines give a grassy, green pepper smell to wine.

• Esters

  These are created by yeast during fermentation, these compounds provide the foundation for fruit flavours. One specific ester, isoamyl acetate, smells exactly like banana or pear. Malic acid, which is also an ester, mimics the sharp tartness of green apple.

• Terpenes

  A particular compound Linalool is found in both lavender and Muscat grapes. Terpenes are responsible for the floral and citrus notes you will find in Riesling or Pinot Grigio respectively.

Wine Flavours

Most sommeliers and vintners will categorise flavours into three distinct flavours, depending on the age of the wine.

• From the Grape (Primary Aromas)

  These are fresh fruit, herbal and floral notes that come directly from the grape variety itself and the soil it has grown in. Aromas like fresh berries, citrus and plum all come from different varieties of grapes.

• From Fermentation (Secondary Aromas)

  Flavours at this stage come directly from decisions made by the winemaker such as fermenting in oak barrels, which adds vanillin from vanilla beans or malolactic fermentation which converts sharp malic acid into lactic acid, giving a buttery, sweet taste.

• From Aging (Tertiary Aromas)

  As wine ages in bottles or barrels, over years the fresh fruit molecules break down and oxidize, evolving into complex savoury notes like leather, tobacco, hazelnut or dried fruit.

Training Your Palate

You may see wine drinkers swirl their glass before taking a sip or at tastings, use tulip shaped glasses. This is designed to agitate the wine and allow aroma compounds to come into your nose. When you smell a glass you can pick out some of the notes we've described.