What do YOU Taste?
Wine is in the tastebuds of the beholder.
Wine flavors, aromas, small nuances and subtleties, just like anything, varies from person to person. Using wine as an example – what we might taste in our Jordan Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, could be different than what you taste or Jordan’s own panel of creative, foodie, geniuses write for tasting notes. (Did you see them… dark cherry, boysenberry and black fig! We agree. Drooling!)
As we enjoy this delicious Cabernet Sauvignon, while ours (Hometown Wine Company’s own Cabernet Sauvignon!) is sitting in barrel, we wanted to brush up on the flavor categories and terms. (Plus, we’re waiting on the BBQ!) Join us.. and see if you pick up a new flavor in your favorite bottle of wine.
There are 9 main flavor and aroma categories:
1. Fruity
2. Sweet
3. Spice
4. Nutty & Cocoa
5. Toasty
6. Floral
7. Herbaceous
8. Earthy
9. Other
In each of these categories we have subcategories and flavors for wine. Are you ready? Let’s go!
Fruity
There are 6 secondary categories of ‘fruity’. They include… citrus, tree fruit & melon, tropical fruit, red fruit, black fruit and dried fruit.
Citrus: Includes lime, lemon, citrus zest, grapefruit and orange. Want to get fancy? How about Key lime or Meyer lemon? Yes, these do have distinct flavors worthy of a shout out.
Tree Fruit & Melon: Includes quince, green apple, yellow apple, cooked apple, pear, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, nectarine, peach, apricot and persimmon.
Tropical Fruit: Includes pineapple, mango, passion fruit, lychee, jackfruit, papaya and dragon fruit.
Red Fruit: Includes sour cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, red plum, cherry, strawberry, raspberry and fruit punch.
Black Fruit: Includes boysenberry, black currant, black plum, black cherry, blueberry, blackberry and black olive.
Dried Fruit: Includes raisin, fig, date and fruitcake.
Sweet
There are 2 secondary categories of ‘sweet’. They include… sweet and caramelized. Holy sweet tooth!
Sweet: Includes bubblegum, coconut, vanilla and beeswax.
Caramelized: Includes honey, caramel, toffee, brown sugar and cola.
Spice
There are 3 secondary categories of ‘spice’. They include… brown spice, botrytis (..don’t be fooled by the name! Yum!) and pepper.
Brown Spice: Includes baking spice, allspice, cinnamon, Chinese 5 spice and anise.
Botrytis: Includes ginger and saffron.
Pepper: Includes chili pepper, black pepper and white pepper.
Nutty & Cocoa
There are 2 secondary categories of ‘nutty and cocoa’. They include… (yes, you guessed it!) nutty and cocoa.
Nutty: Includes hazelnut, Brazil nut, almond and marzipan.
Cocoa: Includes cocoa powder, dark chocolate and espresso.
Toasty
There are 3 secondary categories of ‘toasty’. They include… tea, tobacco and burnt.
Tea: Includes black tea.
Tobacco: Includes tobacco and cigar box.
Burnt: Includes smoke, wood smoke and ashes.
Floral
All the lovely floral flavors and aromas are grouped together as one and include: bergamot, lavender, hibiscus, acacia flower, honeysuckle, geranium, jasmine, violet, rose, elderflower, potpourri, lilac, peony and iris.
Herbaceous
There are 4 secondary categories of ‘herbaceous’. They include… fresh green, grassy, methoxy-pyrazines and resinous herbs.
Fresh Green: Includes celery, dill, fennel and tarragon.
Grassy: Includes hay and grass.
Methoxy-Pyrazines: Includes mint, green peppercorn, bell pepper, jalapeño and tomato leaf.
Resinous Herbs: Includes sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary and eucalyptus.
Earthy
There are 3 secondary categories of ‘earthy’. They include… brettanomyces aka ‘brett’, mineral and soil.
Brettanomyces: Includes black cardamom, horse manure, sweaty saddle and band-aid. (Nope! You do NOT want these flavors in your wine..)
Mineral: Includes volcanic rocks, petrichor, graphite and crushed gravel. Sometimes we even get salt, wet gravel or stainless steel.
Soil: Includes dusty, clay pot, red beet and potting soil.
Other
There are 6 secondary categories of the illusive ‘other’. Unfortunately.. the ‘bad stuff’. They include… cork taint, umami, sulfur compounds, chemical, sour or fermented and pungent. Many winemaking professionals and consumers alike think that small amounts of these flavors and aromas can add complexity to wine while others completely shy away. The choice is yours.. But, if one says.. this wine is ‘bad’ or ‘has turned’.. they are traditionally smelling or tasting these..
Cork Taint: Includes wet cardboard.
Umami: Includes bacon fat, mushroom and soy sauce.
Sulfur Compounds: Includes cat pee, boiled eggs, onion, garlic, struck match and burnt rubber.
Chemical: Includes tar, new plastic and petrol.
Sour or Fermented: Includes parmesan, lager, sourdough, yogurt, cream and butter.
Pungent: Includes vinegar and balsamic.
Can you believe all of these flavors and aromas can be found in wine?
If you haven’t tried them – go out there and try! Expand your palate of taste and smell. You won’t regret it. Need a wine flavor wheel? Send us a message!
Don’t forget – share your stories and delicious finds with us! – @hometownwinecompany
Do these flavors and aromas change depending on wine varietal and viticulture area? Most certainly, yes! Stay tuned for more fragrant blogs – *wink – to come.
Tri-Tip here we come!
#locatedhere
Brian and Sara
