You smell a red wine and think: “This reminds me of a forest after the rain.” There is fruit, perhaps a little spice, and something that brings leaves, earth and mushrooms to mind. Is it an intriguing aroma, or a sign that something is wrong?
A mushroom note in wine can spark curiosity because it takes us beyond more immediately familiar aromas, such as cherry or raspberry. Understanding it means taking a closer look: noticing the smell, describing it and considering it alongside the other aromas in your glass.
In this little aromatic adventure, we explore three related but different impressions: fresh mushrooms, forest floor and mould. And at the end, a challenge awaits: can you describe what you smell without using the word “mushroom”?
Fresh mushrooms and forest floor: two different impressions
Think of a fresh porcini mushroom, just cut in half. Its smell might remind you of earth, woodland or something else familiar. A button mushroom can suggest different associations, as can a dried mushroom. Even outside the wine glass, “mushroom” is not one single smell.
Forest floor is a broader impression. It brings together memories of leaves, humus, damp earth and vegetation. When a wine taster uses this term, they are describing a collection of sensations rather than identifying an ingredient in the bottle.
Mould suggests another experience: a damp, enclosed room, fabric left wet or a stale smell. These associations can overlap, but calling them all “mushroom” means losing useful details.
Ask yourself: does this smell remind me of fresh food, a natural setting or something stale? That question cannot diagnose a wine fault, but it is a helpful starting point for a more precise description.
How wine changes over time
A wine’s aroma does not stand still. As it develops in the bottle, new nuances can emerge. Its fruit character may change and be joined by notes that wine tasters call tertiary aromas.
Descriptors used for mature red wines include mushroom, earth, damp leaves and forest floor. This does not mean that every aged bottle should display them, or that all wines improve with time. It simply means that a wine’s aromatic profile can change.
Some mature Pinot Noirs offer an interesting opportunity to explore these notes: mushroom and forest floor can appear alongside fruit aromas. If you would like to investigate, compare two wines of the same style but different ages, ideally from the same producer. Treat this as an exploration rather than a controlled experiment: vintage, storage and winemaking can all influence the result.
Do not begin by trying to find mushroom at all costs. Write down what you notice spontaneously, then compare your notes. Curiosity works best when it leaves room for surprises—including not finding the aroma you expected.
A little aromatic chemistry
Certain compounds, such as 1-octen-3-ol and 1-octen-3-one, are associated with mushroom-like smells. Geosmin is known for an earthy, muddy character, while TCA is one of the main compounds responsible for what is commonly called cork taint.
These names help explain why earthy impressions do not all have the same origin. They do not, however, allow us to identify a molecule with certainty simply by smelling a bottle. “It reminds me of mushrooms” is a sensory description, not a laboratory result.
For the same reason, it would be inaccurate to explain every mushroom note as a normal consequence of ageing. Mushroom-like or earthy smells can also be associated with wine faults. Context matters, and a single word is not enough to establish a wine’s quality.
Mushroom or fault? Consider the whole picture
A forest-floor impression can contribute to the character of a mature wine. A smell of mould or damp cardboard, on the other hand, may suggest contamination. There is no simple rule that says “a little is good, a lot is a fault”.
With TCA, for example, a wine’s fruit aromas can become less expressive even when an obvious tainted smell is not immediately apparent. Cork taint can also occur in wines without a cork closure: the familiar name does not tell us everything about the possible sources of the problem.
If you are unsure, describe what you notice before deciding on its cause. Does the wine seem stale? Is the fruit subdued? Does the earthy impression dominate, or sit alongside other aromas? You can compare impressions with another taster or ask for an opinion when drinking wine at a restaurant.
Training your nose also means learning to say “I’m not sure” and separating what you perceive from how you interpret it.
Your challenge: one porcini mushroom, three words
For this little game, all you need is a fresh porcini mushroom bought from a food retailer, a pen and a sheet of paper. You do not need to open a bottle of wine or guess what you are smelling—you already know. The aim is to explore its aroma and find words to describe it.
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Cut the porcini mushroom in half and smell it, taking two or three short, gentle sniffs. Give yourself a moment: what does it remind you of?
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Write down three words or short phrases that describe the smell, without using “mushroom” or “porcini”. You might choose adjectives such as “earthy” or “delicate”, or an association such as “damp leaves”. These are only examples: write what you notice.
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After a short pause, smell it again and read your words. Do they still seem right? Change one if you wish.
That is the whole challenge: describe a familiar smell without naming its source. There is no correct combination of words to guess, and this is not an exam. Each description is a starting point for understanding what you perceive.
If you would like to play with someone else, try the exercise without showing each other your notes, then compare them. Did you choose the same words? A different description might help you notice a nuance you had overlooked.
Have the TasterPlace Mushroom sample? Add a comparison
After smelling the porcini mushroom, take a short break. Then smell the Mushroom sample separately, following the instructions in the guide, and ask yourself:
“What do they have in common? What is different?”
They do not need to smell identical. A fresh porcini mushroom has its own aromatic profile, which can vary from one mushroom to another. The sample provides a reference for practising recognition of an aromatic note. In wine, that note also appears alongside many other aromas, rather than on its own as it does in a sample.
You might recognise a similarity while also noticing differences in intensity or character. That is perfectly fine: the comparison is there to enrich your scent memory, not to find two exact copies of the same smell.
TasterPlace aroma samples are intended for smelling and must not be ingested.
A memory to bring to your next glass
The next time you smell a red wine, start with your spontaneous impressions. If you notice something that reminds you of porcini mushrooms or forest floor, try describing it with the words you collected during the exercise.
You do not need to find exactly the same smell. You are looking for a resemblance within a richer combination: fruit, spice and other nuances can change the way you perceive that note.
And remember: a forest-floor aroma alone is not enough to declare a wine faulty. It is a clue to consider within the overall profile, not a verdict.
Want to keep exploring? The TasterPlace Red Wine Aromas collection combines a guide to wine with twelve aroma samples, including Mushroom. Use them to build your aromatic vocabulary and practise recognising smells blind, one aroma at a time.
Discover the Red Wine Aromas collections
And the next time a glass of wine reminds you of a forest, you will have another question to ask—and a few more words to describe it.
