The olfactory categories of aromas found in white wines are many: citrus, fruit, tropical fruit, flowers, herbs, dried fruit, spices, caramel, toasted chemicals, earthy. Let's see which ones are the most important and what they can tell us.
AGRUMES. Let us begin by saying that all, or almost all, white wines have more or less pronounced hints of citrus. In most cases, the scents are reminiscent of fresh, green citrus fruits (lime, lemon, and grapefruit), but some varietals have citrus fruits that are reminiscent of sweeter sensations, such as orange and tangerine. Examples of these varietals include Gewürztraminer, Muscat Blanc, Riesling, and Viognier.
WHITE FRUIT. All white wines have hints of white or tree fruit, such as apple, pear, apricot, and peach. Wines made in cool climates will have hints reminiscent of green or not fully ripe fruit, while those made in warmer climates have hints of peach, apricot, and ripe fruit in general.
TROPICAL FRUIT. Tropical fruit is also frequently found in the bouquet of a white wine. The most frequent descriptors are: pineapple, melon, lychee, mango, papaya, and passion fruit. These scents are most pronounced in white wines from warm climates or produced from specific grape varieties. Some examples of popular grape varieties with these scents are Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat Blanc, and Gewürztraminer.
FLOWERS. Very broad category of scents, including: acacia, jasmine, rose, linden, chamomile, lilac, hawthorn, elderberry, lavender, violet and many others. These are very pronounced aromas in some wines and barely noticeable or absent the others. Some of the grape varieties that result in white wines with marked floral aromas are: Gewürztraminer, Moscato Bianco, Fiano di Avellino, Prosecco (Glera).
HERBS. The herb category divides into herbs (sage, thyme, bay leaf, marjoram and others), green grass (freshly cut grass), tomato leaf, currant shoot, asparagus hay and others. When present, herb scents add a nice touch to the bouquet of dry and fresh wines, bringing aromatic nuances and helping to accentuate the savory mouthfeel. For example, try looking for them in Vermentino, Soave or Prosecco wines. Green and herbaceous hints are rarer, and at the same time typical, in wines made from grapes grown in cold climates. These hints may seem unpleasant to those who hear them for the first time, but they contribute complexity and finesse to the bouquet. The best known example is Sauvignon Blanc from cool climates with its unmistakable aroma of cat pee and tomato leaf.
OTHER CATEGORIES. The other categories of scents that are more common in white wines, but difficult to perceive for novice tasters, are earthy (e.g., gravel, wet chalk, dust), chemical (e.g., flint typical of Riesling), fermentation (e.g., butter typical of Chardonnays), toasting (e.g., bread crust, caramel), nutty (e.g., hazelnut, almond), and spicy (pepper, clove, star anise) scents.
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How then to proceed in tasting to try to identify all these aromas? We suggest you proceed by going through the categories one at a time, trying to see if they are present and if so trying to recognize the specific aroma. Citrus: lime-lime or orange-mandarin? White fruit: green or ripe? Pear, apple, apricot, or peach? Tropical fruit: is it present? If yes which one? continuing in this way with all the other categories.
In this way you will gradually come to create a very detailed map of the wine's flavor profile.
Then there are some aromas that better than others suggest the nature of the wine we are drinking. This is the case of cat's pee or herbaceous (Sauvignon Blanc), rose (Gewürztraminer) or butter (some Chardonnays).
TasterPlace's training aromas contemplate almost all aromatic categories of white wines. In the White Wine Aromas and White Wine 24 Aromas collections you'll find citrus (lemon and grapefruit), fruit (green apple, pear, peach), tropical fruit (pineapple, melon, mango, lychee, passion fruit), Floral (acacia, honeysuckle, jasmine, lime, hawthorn), earthy (chalk), grass (currant bud, hay), herbs (sage), butter, honey, cookie, and bread crust. You can also customize your collection of aromas by choosing them from within a long list.
Being able to recognize aromas makes tasting more enjoyable and allows you to more consciously choose the wine you want to drink. By training yourself to recognize TasterPlace aromas blindly, it will be easier to spot them, much more subtly, in the wines you are going to taste.
Happy training!
Click here for TasterPlace White Wine aromas and White Wine24 Aromas.